> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.linkiasoft.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect WhatsApp with a QR code

> Linking a personal WhatsApp number by QR or pairing code, the per-channel settings, and why it disconnects.

This links a normal WhatsApp account the same way WhatsApp Web does. Fast to set up, but
read [the comparison](/help/channels/overview#the-whatsapp-decision) first — for anything
beyond trying it out you probably want
[WhatsApp Business](/help/channels/whatsapp-cloud-api).

## Connecting

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the channel">
    **Settings → Channels → Add channel → WhatsApp**. Give it a name your team will
    recognize, like "Sales" or "Support".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose QR or pairing code">
    **QR code** — on your phone open WhatsApp → **Linked devices** → **Link a device**, and
    scan what is on screen.

    **Pairing code** — enter your number with its country code, and WhatsApp shows a code
    to type on the phone. Use this when you cannot scan, such as on a phone with a broken
    camera.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for Connected">
    The status moves through connecting → QR ready → connected. Once connected, existing
    conversations start arriving.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Settings worth knowing

Each channel has its own:

| Setting                        | What it does                                                                                                            |
| ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Show online when connected** | Whether contacts see you as online. Off is more discreet.                                                               |
| **Auto-mark messages as read** | Sends blue ticks as messages arrive in Linkiasoft. Turn off if you would rather ticks reflect a human actually reading. |
| **Ignore group messages**      | Keeps group chatter out of the inbox entirely.                                                                          |
| **Auto-reject calls**          | Declines incoming WhatsApp calls — this connection cannot take them.                                                    |
| **Sync full chat history**     | Pulls in past conversations on connect. Slower first sync.                                                              |

## Statuses

| Status       | Meaning                                                              |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Connecting   | Session being established.                                           |
| QR ready     | Waiting for you to scan. QR codes expire — refresh if it goes stale. |
| Connected    | Working.                                                             |
| Disconnected | The link is gone. Reconnect by scanning again.                       |
| Error        | Something failed; the channel shows why.                             |

## Why it disconnects

This is the main drawback of a personal connection, and it is worth understanding rather
than being surprised by:

* **Your phone went offline** for an extended period. The link depends on it.
* **You unlinked the device** from the phone, deliberately or otherwise.
* **WhatsApp ended the session.** It does this periodically, and it is out of our control.
* **You logged in somewhere else** in a way that invalidated the session.

Reconnecting is scanning again — you do not lose your conversation history.

<Note>
  If reconnecting is becoming routine, that is the signal to move to
  [WhatsApp Business](/help/channels/whatsapp-cloud-api). It does not depend on a phone and
  does not drop.
</Note>

## Disconnect, log out, delete

Three different things:

* **Disconnect** — stops the session, keeps the channel and its history. Reconnect any time.
* **Log out** — also ends the link on the phone side.
* **Delete** — removes the channel. Its conversations go with it.