> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ixhello.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ixhello.com/ixhc/connections/twilio-whatsapp-enablement-guide.md).

# Twilio WhatsApp Enablement Guide

### Purpose

This document describes the manual process to enable WhatsApp messaging capability on a Twilio phone number used by iXHC (ixHello Customer). This process is documented per AppSec team requirements.

### Scope

Covers the end-to-end workflow from request initiation by a Product Owner through WhatsApp enablement and webhook configuration by the DevOps team.

### Roles

| **Role**                   | **Responsibility**                                                                          |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Product Owner              | Initiates the request to enable WhatsApp on a phone number                                  |
| DevOps Team (Sanjay Rimal) | Enables WhatsApp on the Twilio number, purchases new numbers if needed, configures webhooks |

### Prerequisites

* An active Twilio account with number-purchase permissions
* Access to the Twilio Console
* A Meta Business Account (WABA) linked to the Twilio account
* The target phone number must support SMS or Voice
* The phone number must not already be registered with WhatsApp elsewhere

### Process Flow

#### Step 1 — Request Initiation

The Product Owner submits a request to the DevOps team to enable WhatsApp on a phone number. The request should include:

* The target phone number (if an existing number is to be used)
* The environment (Dev, QA, Staging, or Production)
* The bot/assistant the number will be associated with
* The webhook URL for the target environment

#### Step 2 — Phone Number Assessment

The DevOps team evaluates whether an existing Twilio number can be used or a new number must be purchased.

**Use an existing number if:**

* The number is already provisioned in the Twilio account
* The number supports SMS or Voice capability
* The number is not already registered with WhatsApp elsewhere

**Purchase a new number if:**

* No suitable existing number is available
* The number needs to be in a specific country or region
* Follow the existing phone number purchase process documented in the API - Purchase Phone Number runbook

#### Step 3 — Enable WhatsApp on the Twilio Phone Number

1. Log in to the **Twilio Console**
2. Navigate to **Messaging → Senders → WhatsApp Senders**
3. Click **"Add Sender"**
4. Select the target Twilio phone number
5. Link the number with the **Meta Business Account (WABA)**
6. Complete the verification process as prompted by Twilio/Meta

#### Step 4 — Configure Incoming Message Webhook

Once WhatsApp is enabled on the number, configure the webhook so incoming WhatsApp messages are routed to the ixHello backend.

**HTTP Method: POST**

**Webhook URLs by environment:**

| **Environment** | **Webhook URL**                   |
| --------------- | --------------------------------- |
| DEV             | (enter dev webhook URL)           |
| QA              | (enter QA webhook URL)            |
| US-STG          | (enter US staging webhook URL)    |
| EU-PROD         | (enter EU production webhook URL) |
| US-PROD         | (enter US production webhook URL) |

#### Step 5 — Sandbox Testing (Optional)

If testing is needed before production deployment:

1. Go to the **Twilio Console**
2. Navigate to **Messaging → Try it out → WhatsApp message**
3. Click **"Sandbox settings"**
4. Configure the incoming message webhook URL (same as Step 4 for the target environment)
5. Click **"Save"**
6. Test by sending a WhatsApp message to the sandbox number

#### Step 6 — Validation

After configuration, verify the integration


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