Migrate Your WhatsApp Conversations

Converge Team

• Updated March 12, 2026

Step-by-step guide to moving your WhatsApp Business conversations and contacts from Drift to a new platform.

Adding WhatsApp After Leaving Drift

Drift does not offer native WhatsApp integration. If you're moving from Drift, you're not migrating WhatsApp — you're adding it as a new channel. This is an opportunity to reach customers on a platform Drift never supported.

Drift's WhatsApp Limitation

Drift focuses on website chat and email. While third-party tools like Zapier and n8n can create basic bridges between Drift and WhatsApp (e.g., sending a WhatsApp notification when a Drift conversation starts), these are not true integrations. You cannot manage WhatsApp conversations inside Drift's inbox or have agents reply to WhatsApp messages from the Drift dashboard. This is a core architectural limitation, not a missing feature.

Setting Up WhatsApp on Your New Platform

Since you're adding WhatsApp fresh (not migrating from Drift), you'll need a WhatsApp Business account linked to your Meta Business Manager. Most messaging platforms connect via WhatsApp's Cloud API through an OAuth flow that takes about 5 minutes. You'll need a phone number dedicated to WhatsApp Business — this can be a new number or an existing one you're not already using with another BSP (Business Solution Provider).

If You Used Third-Party WhatsApp Workarounds

If you connected Drift to WhatsApp through Zapier, Make, or another automation tool, disconnect those integrations before switching. Check your Zapier/Make account for any active Drift triggers that forward to WhatsApp — deactivate them to prevent duplicate messages or broken workflows after you leave Drift. Your WhatsApp Business number and verified status are tied to your Meta Business Manager, not to any integration tool.

WhatsApp Message Templates

Since you didn't have WhatsApp templates in Drift, you'll create these from scratch in your new platform. WhatsApp requires pre-approved message templates for outbound messages (customer-initiated conversations don't need templates). Start with common support responses — order status, appointment confirmations, and follow-up messages. Template approval by Meta typically takes a few hours to a day.

The Channel Gap Drift Left

With over 2 billion active users, WhatsApp is the preferred messaging channel in most of Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and India. If your customers are in these regions and you were limited to Drift's website chat, you've been missing a significant communication channel. Adding WhatsApp to your support stack often increases customer engagement because you're meeting them on the app they already use daily.

Note: Unlike migrating WhatsApp from another platform (where there's a gap during the switch), adding WhatsApp as a new channel has no downtime. Set it up, test it, and start receiving messages immediately.