Why did my WhatsApp message fail even though the account is connected?

WhatsApp delivers free text only to people who messaged your business in the last 24 hours. Outside that window the provider needs an approved template. The provider's reason is shown on the message in the message log.

Does the WhatsApp button on a lead use my connected account?

No. It opens WhatsApp on your own device with the lead's number. Leadnote only adds a note to the lead's timeline. Your connected account is used for campaigns, bulk messages and wishes.

Can I connect two WhatsApp providers at once?

No. One provider is connected at a time. Saving another one replaces the current provider, and the page warns you before you do.

Set up WhatsApp messaging with Interakt or Cloud API

You connect WhatsApp in Campaigns, on the WhatsApp page, in the Settings tab. Choose one of three providers, enter its keys and press Check & Save. Campaigns, bulk messages and wishes then go through that account.

Only Account Owners and Managers can change these settings.

Choose a provider

Open Campaigns, then WhatsApp, then the Settings tab. Three tiles appear. Each opens its own connection page.

Provider	What you need	Badge on the tile
WhatsApp Cloud API (Meta)	A Meta business account with a WhatsApp Business phone number and a permanent system-user token	None
Interakt	An Interakt account on the plan the page names (Growth or higher)	None
Wati	A Wati paid plan	Draft

A tile shows Configured when it is the active provider. If another provider is connected, the page warns that saving replaces it.

Wati carries a Draft badge: the connection follows Wati's published documentation and has not been exercised against a live Wati account. A tile without the label is not a guarantee either, so for any provider test with your own number first. Delivery statuses after Sent depend on the provider's webhook reaching Leadnote, so they may be missing until you have set it up and tested it.

Connect WhatsApp Cloud API (Meta)

In Meta Business Settings, create a System User and generate a permanent token with the whatsapp_business_messaging permission.
In WhatsApp, API Setup, copy the Phone number id and the WhatsApp Business Account id.
In Leadnote open the WhatsApp Cloud API tile and enter the Permanent access token and Phone number id. Business account id, Graph API version and Default template language are optional.
Choose Check & Save.

After saving, open the Delivery & sender tab. It shows what, if anything, you still need to set up so delivery statuses reach your message log.

Connect Interakt

Log in to your Interakt account.
Go to Settings, Developer Settings, and copy your Interakt secret key.
In Leadnote open the Interakt tile. Choose the Code, enter User Mobile No. for the Interakt user who owns the key, and the Interakt Secret Key. Default template language is optional.
Choose Check & Save.

Open the Delivery & sender tab, then Create webhook URL and secret. Copy the URL and secret into Interakt so Delivered, Read and Failed statuses reach your message log. The secret is shown once. Use Rotate secret if you lose it.

Connect Wati

In Wati, go to More, API docs and copy the access token. Open the user profile menu and copy the client id. Enter the Wati Secret Key (access token) and Wati Client Id on the Wati tile and choose Check & Save.

The 24 hour rule

This is the most common reason a WhatsApp message fails. WhatsApp lets a business send free text only to a person who messaged that business within the last 24 hours. To start a conversation outside that window, WhatsApp requires a message template approved by WhatsApp.

Leadnote sends the text you write as free text. A message the provider rejects shows as Failed in the message log, with the provider's reason on it. So:

Test with your own number. Message your business number from the test phone first, then send the test.
Do not expect a campaign to reach people who have never contacted you.
Create and approve templates at your provider, not in Leadnote.

The test box on the Connection tab says the same: free text is delivered only inside a 24 hour customer session.

Send a test message

On the Connection tab use Send a test WhatsApp message. Enter the To mobile number (see the country code note below) and the message. Open the result in the message log to see whether it was accepted and what the provider said.

Numbers and country codes

If a lead's number has no country code, Leadnote adds the calling code of your organisation's country, or +91 for India when no country is set. A number that already starts with + is never changed.

Write your messages

The WhatsApp Templates tab keeps the message texts you reuse. Leadnote calls them templates, but they are your own text with placeholders, for example {{lead.firstName}}. They are not templates approved by WhatsApp. Messages are limited to 1,024 characters in the campaign composer. You can group them as Campaigns, Birthday wishes or Special day wishes. See message templates and placeholders.

The provider pages also list some automations as Planned, such as lead assignment notices and follow-up reminders. Planned items do not work yet.

The mobile app

On the phone, the WhatsApp button on a lead offers your templates and then opens WhatsApp on the phone with the text filled in. This uses your own WhatsApp app and does not need a connected provider.

Once WhatsApp is connected, continue with create and send a campaign or set up auto-responders.