Numbers

A number is a WhatsApp account you've linked to PromotionBot by scanning a QR code, exactly the way WhatsApp Web works. The app calls each one a number; in a few technical corners you'll see the word session, which means the same thing.

Linking a number#

Open Numbers, start a connection, then on the phone holding that number: WhatsApp → Settings → Linked devices → Link a device, and scan the QR.

The QR regenerates every few seconds. That's normal — scan whichever code is on screen when your camera is ready.

History sync#

Immediately after pairing, WhatsApp pushes chat history to the new device. That push is how PromotionBot discovers which groups you're in, so the app waits for it and shows progress.

It normally finishes in well under a minute. If it doesn't:

• After a short wait, a Continue without history button appears. Take it. You keep the connection, and your group list fills in as messages arrive in those groups.
• If the sync is clearly stuck rather than slow, the app detects that and offers the same button immediately.

Skipping sync costs you nothing except a group list that populates gradually instead of all at once.

If pairing keeps failing#

WhatsApp rate-limits device linking. If several attempts close immediately in a row, PromotionBot puts the number into a 30-minute cooldown and tells you when you can try again.

This is not the app being cautious for its own sake: retrying into a WhatsApp link-block is what turns a 30-minute block into a longer one. The cooldown survives an app restart specifically so a deploy can't hand you a fresh retry button that makes things worse. Wait it out, then scan once.

A freshly linked number sends less at first#

A brand-new number has no history for WhatsApp to weigh a burst against, so its daily send allowance starts low and rises on its own over roughly the first week. Nothing to configure, and re-linking a number you've used before keeps the age it already earned. Full details: new numbers start small.

Practical consequence when onboarding: link the number a few days before the first real send, not on the morning of it.

Using more than one number#

How many numbers you can link depends on your plan — one on Starter, three on Team, ten on Pro. See Plans & billing.

Everything is scoped to the number it belongs to: groups, sends, campaigns, analytics. Two committees on two numbers can't see or interfere with each other's traffic. That makes several numbers the right answer when you want genuinely separate audiences, and the wrong answer when you just want to send more messages — the volume you're allowed is set by your plan, not by how many numbers you link.

Common shapes:

• One shared number, whole team sends through it, non-admins go through approvals. This is what most organisations should do.
• One number per committee, each with its own groups, when committees genuinely run their own communications.

Quiet hours#

Each number can have a quiet window — say 22:00 to 08:00. A scheduled send that comes due inside the window is held until the window ends, not dropped. Nothing is lost; it just leaves later.

Compose's delivery preview tells you when this will happen before you commit, in your organisation's own timezone.

Quiet hours are worth setting even if you're careful about scheduling. They're the safety net for the Tuesday when someone queues a "reminder" at 01:00.

Reconnecting and re-pairing#

Links drop. Someone unlinks the device from the phone, WhatsApp expires the session, the phone is off for a long stretch. PromotionBot reconnects automatically with backoff for ordinary drops.

When it can't, the number shows as disconnected and you re-scan a QR. Your groups, tags, campaigns, and analytics are untouched by re-pairing — they belong to your organisation, not to the credential.

Deleting a number removes its stored credentials. Do that if a phone is lost, or before handing a SIM to someone else.

If WhatsApp restricts a number#

WhatsApp restricts numbers used with any third-party tool at its own discretion, sometimes with no warning. PromotionBot treats this as a first-class event rather than a mystery failure.

When a restriction is detected at the connection layer:

1. All sending for your organisation pauses immediately — scheduled, recurring, and campaign sends alike. Not just on that number. The fastest way to turn a temporary throttle into a permanent ban is to keep firing into it.
2. The account owner gets an email (assuming email delivery is configured — it is on the hosted service).
3. Nothing is deleted. Groups, tags, campaigns, and history stay exactly as they were.
4. Sending does not resume by itself. A human clears the pause — after linking a different number, or after confirming the restriction lifted. That's deliberate: an automatic retry loop into a restricted number is the one thing you must not do.

To recover: link a different number (ideally a dedicated business SIM), then clear the pause. Your groups and campaigns carry over.

The fair-use policy covers refunds for a number restricted while you were sending inside the built-in limits, and how to request a data export.

The best version of this page is the one you never need. Read Staying unbanned first.