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A channel is a surface where end users talk to your agent. Web and WhatsApp are the available channels, and one flow can serve both. The Web channel is built into every agent. It runs through the agent link and the widget embed, and no account setup is needed. WhatsApp runs through a connected phone number, which Tars calls a channel account.

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Where WhatsApp numbers live

This capability needs the plan or higher.
WhatsApp numbers belong to your organization, not to one agent. They live in Settings, under the Channels group, on the WhatsApp page. That page lists every connected number with its assigned agent and its health. An organization Admin adds numbers there with Connect WhatsApp number. See Connect WhatsApp. Message templates live on the Templates tab of the Campaigns page. See Manage WhatsApp templates.

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Providers

A WhatsApp number reaches WhatsApp through one of two providers. Both are part of the same WhatsApp channel, so conversations, campaigns, templates, and consent work the same way on either.
  • Direct (Meta) connects a WhatsApp Business Account through Facebook, and every number on that account joins the list. Meta bills message costs directly.
  • 360dialog connects a number you already run on 360dialog with its API key. Tars bills message costs on your Tars invoice.
The number detail sheet shows the Provider of each number. One organization can hold numbers on both providers.

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Health states

Each row on the WhatsApp page shows a health badge next to a mode badge of Production, Staging, or Test. The same health badge appears on the WhatsApp card in Distribute. The token badges apply to Meta numbers only. A number with token trouble keeps its credentials and its agent assignment. Fixing the token brings it back to Healthy without repeating the assignment.

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From a channel account to a deployment

Every agent has a deployment, which is the live setup that end users talk to. See Deployments explained. Assigning a WhatsApp number to an agent attaches the number to that agent’s deployment. Messages sent to the number then start conversations with that agent, on the flow that agent has published. The rule is one to one. A number routes to one agent, and an agent holds one number at a time. When you pick an agent for a number, agents that already have a number appear disabled with a Used by note. You can make the assignment from two places, and both change the same routing.
  • On the WhatsApp page, the Agent column has an Assign agent picker. It works number first: pick a number, then choose its agent. Admins and Members can use it.
  • In the builder, the Distribute section has a Channels group with a WhatsApp card. It works agent first: you are already in the agent, so you choose its number. Only Admins can change it.
The WhatsApp card in Distribute reflects the state of the agent. See Deployments explained for each state of that card.

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Unassigned, reassigned, and removed numbers

A number can be left unassigned. It keeps its credentials and shows a Not connected badge, and messages to it do not reach any agent. An Assignment needs review badge means the stored routing no longer resolves, and choosing an agent again confirms it. Replacing or clearing an agent on the WhatsApp page asks for confirmation first, because it changes where messages route. When an active or paused webhook campaign uses the number, any change also asks you to accept that replies can be interrupted. See Run webhook campaigns. Removing a number from your organization is different from removing its agent. Open conversations stay in the inbox, but new messages to that number no longer reach any agent.

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Channels, campaigns, and live chat

Campaigns send approved template messages from a WhatsApp number that is connected to an agent. Replies come back to the agent on that number. See Campaigns overview. Live chat works on both channels. Human agents reply to Web and WhatsApp conversations from the same inbox, and the inbox can filter by channel. See Work the inbox. End users keep one profile across channels, so a person who chats on your site and later messages you on WhatsApp keeps one history. See End user profiles. Rich content is adapted to what each channel can show, and the builder warns you when a WhatsApp limit applies. See Gambit mastery. A document or image an end user sends on WhatsApp is stored by Tars. An agent with the File Reading tool on can read it the same way as a widget upload. See Built-in AI capabilities.