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Resolve "Number Already Registered" Error

If your phone number was previously connected to the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) — directly with Meta or through another Business Solution Provider — Meta's signup flow blocks the number from being reused for Coexistence until the previous registration is released.

The error​

While connecting your number under Settings > Social Channels > Whatsapp Business, after you enter your phone number in Meta's embedded signup flow, you see:

This number is registered to an existing WhatsApp account. To use this number, disconnect it from the existing account. Then, return to this page and re-enter the number. Note: it may take up to 3 minutes for the number to become available.

Why it happens​

Meta enforces a one-WABA-per-number rule. If the number is still attached to an older WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) — whether that account is yours, your previous BSP's, or a partner's — the new Coexistence connection cannot proceed.

Common situations that produce this error:

  • The number is currently registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform (API) under your own Meta Business Portfolio.
  • The number was managed by a different Business Solution Provider (BSP) and has not been fully released after the contract ended.

Resolve it​

  1. Sign in to your Meta Business Portfolio at business.facebook.com using the account that owned the previous integration.

  2. Go to Settings > WhatsApp accounts and identify the WABA that holds the number.

  3. Click the three-dot icon next to the WABA, then click Disconnect account.

    If Disconnect account is disabled, see If the Disconnect Account button is disabled below before continuing.

  4. Wait at least 3 minutes for Meta to propagate the release.

  5. Return to Settings > Social Channels in Exabloom, click Connect next to Whatsapp Business, and re-enter the same phone number.

If the Disconnect Account button is disabled​

When you open the three-dot menu on the WABA, Disconnect account may be greyed out with this tooltip:

You're unable to remove this WhatsApp business account because it is shared with a partner. If you want to remove this account, you must remove the partner first.

The WABA is still shared with a partner — typically a previous BSP — and Meta will not release the number until the partner is removed. Meta's official walkthrough for this is Remove a partner from your business portfolio. The steps below summarise the same flow.

  1. Open the Partner tab on the WABA.

    If the Partner tab does not appear, the Facebook account you signed in with does not have Full Access to the Meta Business Portfolio. Switch to an account that does, or ask the Portfolio owner to perform the remaining steps.

  2. Click Manage next to the partner.

  3. Click Remove access.

  4. Return to the three-dot menu on the WABA and click Disconnect account.

    If Disconnect account is still disabled, wait up to 10 minutes for Meta to propagate the partner removal, then try again.

Once the WABA is disconnected, return to step 4 of Resolve it.

If the error persists after 3 minutes​

  • Confirm the number no longer appears under any WABA in your Meta Business Portfolio.
  • If the number was managed by a previous BSP, contact them to confirm the release is complete on their side.
  • Wait up to 24 hours and retry — Meta's release can occasionally take longer than the 3-minute estimate.

Next steps​