WhatsApp Business Account: Roles & Permissions

Governance runs through a Meta Business Portfolio (formerly Business Manager) that owns one or more WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABAs). Each WABA belongs to exactly one portfolio and cannot be co-owned.

Note this is the programmatic Business Platform, distinct from the free standalone WhatsApp Business App for small businesses — the app is a phone app with a built-in inbox; the Platform is an API with no inbox of its own.

Access is granted at two layers.

Human members of the portfolio get either Full control — able to manage settings, people and all assets — or Partial access, the default, which confines a person to explicitly assigned assets. Layered on top are optional Finance and Apps & integrations permissions for billing and token/app management.

System users are non-human API identities. An Admin system user reaches every WABA in the portfolio, while an Employee system user must be granted per-WABA access that can be narrowed to read-only on specific assets (Access Tokens).

API credentials are tokens issued to system users, scoped by the permissions whatsapp_business_messaging, whatsapp_business_management and business_management.

A business can hold its own tokens directly, or delegate to a Tech Provider / Solution Partner that receives a business-integration token through Meta's Embedded Signup. A WABA can be shared with up to two partners, and access is revoked by removing that share or the underlying token. So unlike Apple or KakaoTalk, an intermediary is optional here — the brand can self-serve.

Capability is tiered by verification and reputation. New, unverified accounts start at 250 unique recipients per day. Completing Meta Business Verification and maintaining a healthy quality rating lifts the account through 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and finally unlimited daily recipients (Messaging Limits).

Since October 2025, these limits are shared across all phone numbers in a portfolio rather than counted per number. A display name must be approved before use, and a separate notability review can grant Official Business Account status and the green badge — a trust marker, not a capability unlock.