Update published on 01/23/2023.

Overview

 Soon, updated versions of WhatsApp will no longer include the check contact feature, whereby the channel would inform you whether a contact exists or not.

What has changed?

 The Meta decision (read the details here) is as follows:

We are changing the purpose of the contacts node so that from version 2.43 it no longer provides status information about a phone number. Regardless of whether the user has WhatsApp, the response will always be returned with a valid for status and a wa_id.

Meta's aim is for on-premise customers to follow the same pattern as those using the Cloud API infrastructure, who no longer have access to the check contact.

How will it be done now?

With this change, it's a good idea to pay extra attention to checking your contacts and filling in the correct phone numbers in Blip for sending messages and notifications. The main points are:

1. Verifying the user's WhatsApp account through "/accounts"

É importante fazer a verificação para todo envio de mensagens e notificações. Mesmo em casos de números já validados, o WhatsApp não garante um cache de mais de 7 dias.

2. Fill in the telephone numbers correctly

For Blip to call WhatsApp and validate contacts, it is important to fill in the phone number correctly when making a request. It must come in its complete form, with the + sign, DDI, DDD, and the number. Ex: +5531988889999.

Documentation

Find out more about the change by visiting this Blip Help article.