Can I Use WhatsApp Business For Personal Use?

WhatsApp Business is the dedicated business version of WhatsApp Messenger. It’s packed with great tools and functionality to help small to medium businesses thrive. But can you use WhatsApp Business for personal, non-professional use?

Let’s take a look at the benefits and drawbacks of using WhatsApp business for personal use, plus how to get it set up. We’ll also discuss the advantages of having multiple numbers to use on WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Messenger.

Am I allowed to use WhatsApp Business for personal use?

Anyone can download WhatsApp Business from the App Store or the Google Play Store, and there are no rules stopping you from using WhatsApp Business for your personal chats with family and friends.

However, you can’t use the same number for both the WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business apps. If you want to have both set up on the same device, you’ll need a second virtual phone number from YourBusinessNumber.

Note: You must abide by WhatsApp’s Business Messaging Policy and Facebook’s Meta Commerce Policy when using WhatsApp Business. For example, you can’t spam other users, sell prohibited or restricted items, use the platform for illegal activities or put other users’ safety at risk. If you do breach these rules, you run the risk of getting an account ban. Read our guide to find out more about WhatsApp Business account bans.

Can I use my WhatsApp Business account to talk to WhatsApp Messenger account users?

Yes. WhatsApp Business is designed to allow you to communicate with WhatsApp Messenger account users and other WhatsApp Business account users. 

What are the benefits of using WhatsApp Business for personal use?

There are plenty of reasons to consider using WhatsApp Business to talk to your personal contacts. Here are just a few:

Use Auto-Replies and Away Messages

On WhatsApp Business, you can set up fully customised automatic welcome and away messages. Use these to let your family and friends know when you’re unavailable, such as during working hours, or when you’re on holiday.

Organise your personal chats with Labels

Anxious to avoid missing an important chat? WhatsApp’s Label feature makes it much easier to stay on top of all your messages. You can alter the Labels to suit your needs, making it simple to see what’s come in at a glance. For example, you could apply Labels to categorise your chats into families, friendship groups, colleagues, neighbours, hobby groups and more.

Use Product Catalogues to sell items

Using the Product Catalogue feature, you could use WhatsApp Business in a similar way to Facebook Marketplace to sell your personal or homemade items, such as art or jewellery, and make some extra money. You can upload product images, prices and descriptions, and share the catalog with your contacts.

Use the Business Profile to share your information

Although it’s designed for companies to use, the Business Profile could be an efficient way to share your contact details with family and friends. For example, if you have a personal website, blog, YouTube channel, Instagram or Facebook account, you can link to these from your profile.

Use Short Links when meeting new contacts

Want to quickly share your contact details with someone new? Short links are URLs or QR codes that allow new people to get in touch with you in just one click. It’s fast, easy and prevents any errors when entering your number into their phone.

What are the drawbacks to using WhatsApp Business for personal use?

There are very few drawbacks when it comes to using WhatsApp Business for personal use. Some users may be initially confused when viewing your Business Profile if you’re not a business, but as long as you fill in the information as accurately as possible, it should be clear to them that you’re an individual and not a company.

How to set up WhatsApp Business for personal use

Follow the steps below to get started with WhatsApp Business for your personal use:

Buy a virtual second phone number if needed

You can’t have both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business set up with the same number. If you already use your existing phone number for another WhatsApp account, you’ll need to buy a virtual phone number to use with WhatsApp Business (from someone like us, for example)!

Download and install the WhatsApp Business app

It’s important to download the latest version of the official WhatsApp Business app from either the Google Play Store (for Android) or the App Store (for Apple). Follow the on-screen prompts to install it.

Register your WhatsApp Business account with your phone number

Once the app is installed, you’ll need to register a new account with your phone number. Either enter your personal number or your new virtual number and follow the on-screen instructions. You’ll be sent a confirmation code via SMS to verify the number.

Set up your WhatsApp Business profile

Your profile is really important to help other users identify you correctly. Add your profile picture and your name at the very minimum. If you want to, you can fill in the other sections, adding your website, social media links, your description and availability, as desired.

Tweak the WhatsApp Business settings

Go to the Business settings section and deactivate any features that you don’t want to use. For example, you may choose to enable or disable read receipts.

Start chatting

That’s it! You can now start adding your contacts and making use of all the features that WhatsApp Business offers.

Get started on WhatsApp Business with YourBusinessNumber

Need a new number to verify a WhatsApp Business account? A virtual second phone number from YourBusinessNumber is the ideal solution. In minutes, you can set up both WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business on the same device and benefit from a better work-life balance, without having to fork out for an expensive second phone contract.

All it takes is three clicks to get your new virtual WhatsApp number delivered via SMS. If you need any assistance, our friendly customer service team will be on hand to help you get set up and harness all the incredible tools that WhatsApp Business has to offer. Plus, our flexible, low-cost subscriptions keep you in full control.

So why wait? Get started with your new WhatsApp Business number today!