Warm up a new WhatsApp number

WhatsApp is quick to restrict a new number that starts texting strangers. Warm-up has your district’s own numbers text each other, a few messages on the first day and more each day after, so a number has a history before it writes to a lead.

These numbers only ever message each other. Nothing warm-up sends reaches a lead or any real person.

Only district admins see warm-up.

Start warm-up

Warm-up needs at least 2 numbers taking part, because a number has to have somebody to talk to.

To start it:

1. In the rail, open CRM, then press WhatsApp warm-up.
2. On each number that should take part, switch Opted out to Opted in.
3. Pick Warm up for a new number, or Helper for an established one, such as a business line.
4. Turn on the switch beside Pause, at the top right of the Warm-up card.
5. Press Plan now to plan today’s messages straight away.

The line under Warm-up changes to On., and Threads planned counts today’s conversations. Otherwise a plan is written each morning.

The same page opens from Settings in the CRM section, as Warm-up under Everyone.

Warm up or helper

A number set to Warm up climbs the ramp. A Helper texts the numbers that are warming up and is never ramped itself, so give that job to a business line with a long history.

How the ramp climbs

A new number starts slowly, and its card names the stage it’s in, such as Day 4 of 21, growing. A number that hasn’t begun reads Not started.

• Day 1, answering only: it only answers chats the other numbers start.
• Day 2, replying: it starts chats of its own as well.
• Days 3 to 6, growing: it sends a little more each day.
• From day 7: it climbs to its Ceiling by the ramp’s last day. After that it holds at 40 a day, or at its ceiling if that’s lower, and its card reads Ramped up.

The ceiling starts at 60 a day and the ramp at 21 days. Change a number’s ceiling on its card, from 1 to 500 a day, and the ramp’s length under Settings. The ramp, lower on the page, draws the curve with each number marked on it.

Hold first messages while a number warms up

Hold automatic lead messages while a number warms up is on to begin with. While warm-up is switched on, it caps the automatic first messages a number being warmed starts to leads: none on day 1, 3 on day 2, 10 a day on days 3 to 6, and from day 7 only the number’s own daily limit.

Replies always go, and helpers are never held. Switch the hold off and a warming number sends first messages under its own limits from day 1.

When WhatsApp logs a number out

If WhatsApp logs a number out, warns it or blocks it, warm-up takes that number out by itself and cancels whatever it had queued. You’ll find it under Taken out, at the top of the page, with the reason.

Connect it again and it rejoins at day 1. WhatsApp watches a number more closely after a ban, so each restart makes every stage last half as long again, and the card adds Restarted once, so slower.

Pause or switch it off

Pause keeps today’s plan and sends nothing until you press Resume. Use it to stop for an afternoon.

The switch is the full stop. Turned off, nothing new is planned or sent until it’s back on.

Change the settings

Settings holds what rarely changes, for every number in the warm-up:

• Sending window: 09:00 to 22:00, Singapore time, to begin with. Nothing goes out outside it.
• Ramp length: 21 days to begin with, anything from 2 to 365.
• Media rate: 1 photo, voice note or document in every 12 messages to begin with.
• Group chat: also sends some messages into a group of these numbers. Switch it on, then press Create the warm-up group to make one from the numbers that opted in.
• AI topics: off to begin with. Switched on, AI picks what the numbers talk about rather than a fixed script.

Press Save when you’re done.

Note that you can’t point warm-up at a group that already exists. That group would have real people in it.

Read what the numbers said

Conversations shows one day at a time, read as chats. Recent turns, folded at the bottom, lists the last 50 messages across every day, newest first.

Look into any turn marked dropped: warm-up stopped it before it went out, because the number it was meant for wasn’t taking part. A turn marked failed usually points at the sending number’s connection.

Number heat sits on the same page, with each number’s real traffic beside the warm-up.

FAQ

Can warm-up text one of my leads?

No. A warm-up message goes only to another number in the warm-up, or to the group warm-up made for itself.

Why was nothing planned?

Fewer than 2 numbers are opted in, or every number taking part is a helper. The page says which, in a warning at the top.

Does a number that’s warming up still answer leads?

Yes. Replies always go. Only the number’s own first messages to new leads wait.