I need to use whatsapp as an alternative to SMS. I only want to send, not receive. Whats the quickest & easiest option → Meta / Twilil / TextMeBot or something else? I expect to send about 10-20 messages a day.
Since we’re talking about sending things programmatically, and not doing something where we are launching WhatsApp on our phone with specific content, I wasn’t exactly sure what route to take.
I know that WhatsApp has a business api, but every time I’ve gone and looked at it it was never something that you could just natively start using. I know there are other services out there that have built an integration that make it easier to use, but I’m not sure exactly which one would be the easiest or fastest to integrate.
So I went and asked Appster.
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Does WhatsApp have an API that we could use natively? We need to be able to use an API or something to send these messages, we’re not trying to use our phone to launch into WhatsApp to do this. We need to be able to push a button inside our app that will send a message through whatsapp.
Yes, WhatsApp does have an official Business API, but it is not something you can use natively inside AppSheet without involving third-party integrations. The WhatsApp Business API is designed for medium and large businesses and is meant for integrating WhatsApp into business systems, allowing automated messages to be sent through workflows like the one you’re describing.
Here’s how you can implement sending WhatsApp messages using the WhatsApp Business API in combination with AppSheet:
- WhatsApp Business API
The official WhatsApp Business API lets you send messages programmatically but requires a business account and an integration setup. It doesn’t work like a regular API that you can just plug into AppSheet directly. The API must be connected through a third-party platform or a custom server.
- Third-Party Integrations
To send WhatsApp messages through an API from within AppSheet, you could use platforms like Twilio or MessageBird. These platforms offer APIs to interact with WhatsApp and make sending automated messages much easier.
Twilio API for WhatsApp: Twilio is one of the most popular options, and it provides a simple API for sending WhatsApp messages. You would configure the Twilio WhatsApp number and set up workflows in Twilio to handle messages sent via an HTTP request.
MessageBird API for WhatsApp: MessageBird also provides API support for sending messages via WhatsApp and is another straightforward solution.
- AppSheet Workflow Integration
Since AppSheet cannot natively send WhatsApp messages, the best way to integrate WhatsApp through an API would be to use a webhook inside AppSheet that triggers an external service like Twilio or MessageBird. Here’s a rough outline of how to achieve this:
Step 1: Set up a WhatsApp Business API via Twilio or MessageBird. You’ll need to register for one of these services, set up your WhatsApp Business account, and configure the API to send messages.
Step 2: Configure the API endpoint. You’ll receive API credentials and an endpoint to which you can send HTTP POST requests with the message content and recipient number.
Step 3: Create a webhook in AppSheet. In AppSheet, you would set up a Bot with a Task that sends a webhook request to the Twilio/MessageBird endpoint. The payload would include the message and phone number, which will be dynamically filled from your app’s data.
Step 4: Use Automation to trigger the message. You can set up a button in your app that triggers the workflow, sending the data to the webhook, which in turn triggers the WhatsApp message to be sent.
Example of Using a Webhook with Twilio
You’d send an HTTP POST request to Twilio’s API like this:
URL:
https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSID}/Messages.json
Request Payload:
{
“From”: “whatsapp:+14155238886”,
“To”: “whatsapp:+{recipient_number}”,
“Body”: “Your message here.”
}
You can configure this payload in AppSheet’s webhook action, pulling data from your app to dynamically send messages.
Additional Considerations:
Costs: Both WhatsApp Business API via Twilio and MessageBird charge per message, so you’ll want to factor this into your decision.
Compliance: WhatsApp Business API requires that you follow their guidelines for sending messages, such as having the customer opt-in to receiving WhatsApp messages.
This solution will allow you to send WhatsApp messages through an API directly from within AppSheet, meeting your need for a button to trigger message sending.
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So my original thought was to use twilio, and it looks like that is still the route to go.
You could probably use zapier as well, I haven’t checked but I would assume they have some way of doing this.
I’m currently working on LLMs → Telegram | Whatsapp
I may contact you once I get things going
I actually use TextMeBot to send to WA group through a Appsheet Bot, its $6 a month it was a bit difficult to set up, but it works like a charm