WhatsApp Alerts from BillionBiz
Get BillionBiz alerts on your own WhatsApp number — verify your number, choose which alerts you receive, read the log of every message we sent, and understand what is free and what the add-on unlocks.
BillionBiz can message you, the store owner or admin, on WhatsApp when something needs your attention: a new order, a failed refund, a low-stock product, a renewal reminder, and more. This page covers Settings → WhatsApp alerts: verifying your number, choosing alerts, reading the message log, and fixing "why am I not getting alerts?".
Not the WhatsApp plugin
WhatsApp alerts are messages BillionBiz sends to you from BillionBiz's own WhatsApp number. They are separate from the WhatsApp Business connection you use to talk to your customers, which is covered in WhatsApp Integration. You do not need to connect that plugin to receive alerts, and connecting it does not turn alerts on.
What you get
- One verified WhatsApp number per store, confirmed with a 6-digit code sent on WhatsApp.
- Free account alerts: subscription, billing and security alerts need only a verified number, on any plan.
- Operational alerts (orders, payments and refunds, shipping, inventory, customers and support, appointments, imports) are included on the Max plan, or unlocked on other plans with the monthly WhatsApp Alerts add-on.
- Per-alert switches, grouped by category, with two alerts that are always on.
- A Messages log of every alert we sent or held back, with date, category and status filters.
- A monthly limit on operational alerts per store; free account alerts are never counted or blocked by it.
Open the page
Only an Owner or Store Admin can open this page.
- Classic (v1) admin: click Settings at the bottom of the left navigation, then open the WhatsApp alerts card in the Store group.
- New (v2) admin: open Settings in the sidebar list and choose WhatsApp alerts; the hub card works too.
- Direct address:
/settings/whatsapp-alertson your admin panel.
The page has two tabs, Messages and Preferences. It opens on Messages once a number is verified and on Preferences until then. If you arrive from a link that names a tab, that tab wins.
Old Notifications link
WhatsApp alerts used to be a tab on the Notifications page. That tab is gone. The Notifications page now shows a banner, "WhatsApp alerts now have their own page, with a log of every message we sent you.", with an Open WhatsApp alerts link. An old bookmark ending in ?tab=whatsapp on the Notifications page forwards you to WhatsApp alerts → Preferences.
Set up alerts
Open Preferences
Go to Settings → WhatsApp alerts → Preferences. Three blocks appear: an access banner at the top (what your plan includes), the Your WhatsApp number card, and Choose your alerts.
Verify your WhatsApp number
Follow Verify your number below. Until a number is verified, every alert switch is disabled and the page says "Verify your WhatsApp number above to turn alerts on or off."
Check what your plan includes
Read the access banner. If it offers Unlock, only the free account and security alerts will reach you until you unlock the rest; see Free alerts and the add-on.
Choose your alerts
Switch individual alerts on or off under Choose your alerts; see Choose your alerts. Each switch saves the moment you flip it.
Send a test message
On the verified number card select Send test message. A confirmation, "Test message sent to your WhatsApp.", appears and the message arrives on your phone. Test messages are never counted against the monthly limit.
What an alert looks like
Every alert arrives in the BillionBiz chat as a card with three parts:
- A banner image at the top, in BillionBiz colours, naming the area (for example Orders, Inventory or Billing) and the event, such as "New order received".
- A bold first line with the details you need at a glance, for example "New order #1042 from Priya Sharma · ₹1,299.00", followed by one line saying what to do next.
- A button that opens the right page of your admin panel: View order opens Orders, View inventory opens Inventory, Renew now opens Billing, and so on. The test message's button, Manage alerts, opens this page.
The button opens your admin panel in the phone's browser. If you are not signed in on that browser, you are asked to sign in first.
Banner image not showing?
WhatsApp downloads the banner when the message arrives. On a slow connection or with media auto-download turned off, the card shows a placeholder until you tap it. The text and button work either way.
Verify your number
On Preferences, the Your WhatsApp number card says "We'll send a 6-digit code on WhatsApp to confirm this number is yours. One number per store."
Pick the country code and type the number
Choose a Country code (+91 is preselected; the list also offers +1, +44, +971, +65, +61, +966, +880, +94 and +977), then type the WhatsApp number (the field's example is 98765 43210). Send code stays disabled until the field has something in it.
For +91, the number must be a valid 10-digit Indian mobile number starting 6, 7, 8 or 9; a leading +91 or 0 is stripped for you. For other country codes, enter 6 to 14 digits. Anything else shows "That doesn't look like a valid WhatsApp number. Check the country code and digits." and no message is sent.
Select Send code
A toast says "Code sent on WhatsApp." and the card changes to "We sent a 6-digit code to" followed by the number you entered, "on WhatsApp. It stays valid for 10 minutes."
Enter the 6-digit code and select Verify
Type the code into 6-digit code (digits only, six of them). Verify stays disabled until all six are entered; pressing Enter does the same. On success you see "WhatsApp number verified." and the card shows your number with only its last digits visible, a Verified badge, and "Verified on" with the date.
If the code does not arrive or does not work:
| What you see | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| Resend code in Ns (disabled) | You must wait for the countdown (about a minute) before asking for another code. When it reaches zero the button becomes Resend code. |
| "Too many codes requested. You can ask for up to 3 per hour — please try again later." | Three codes per hour is the limit. Wait, then try again. |
| "WhatsApp couldn't deliver the message. Check the number is on WhatsApp and try again." | The number is not reachable on WhatsApp, or WhatsApp refused the message. Check the digits and country code, and that the number has WhatsApp installed. |
| "That code isn't right. Check it and try again." / "That code isn't right. N attempts left." | Re-enter the code. After too many wrong attempts you must request a new one. |
| "That code has expired. Request a new one." | Codes last 10 minutes. Select Resend code. |
| "Too many wrong attempts. Request a new code." | Select Resend code (or Use a different number) and start again. |
| Wrong number typed | Select Use a different number on the code step to go back to the number step. |
One number per store
A store has exactly one alerts number. Everyone on the store's team shares it, so use a number the owner or the person who handles operations actually reads.
Change or remove your number
Change number. On the verified number card select Change number. The same number-and-code form opens with a Cancel button. Your current number keeps receiving alerts until the new one is verified, and Cancel returns you to it unchanged. Once the new code is verified the card shows the new number.
Remove. Select Remove. A dialog titled "Remove this WhatsApp number?" warns: "You'll stop receiving every BillionBiz WhatsApp alert, including account and billing alerts, until you verify a number again. Your alert choices are kept." Select Remove number to confirm, or Cancel. A toast says "WhatsApp number removed. WhatsApp alerts are paused."
After removal, the Messages tab shows "No WhatsApp number yet" and the alert switches are disabled again. Your earlier on/off choices are remembered and return once you verify a number.
Free alerts and the add-on
The banner at the top of Preferences tells you which state your store is in.
| Banner | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Included in your Max plan (it names your own plan) with "Every alert below is available at no extra cost." | Your plan includes every alert. Nothing to buy. |
| WhatsApp Alerts add-on active until a date, with "Every alert below is switched on for your store." | You bought the add-on. Every alert is available until that date. |
| "Account & billing alerts are free." with an Unlock button | The locked state. Only the free alerts are available. The headline never shows a price; the monthly add-on price appears once, in the "Critical account alerts only…" line directly below the banner (see Monthly alert line below). Unlock is disabled when no add-on is available to buy. |
| We couldn't confirm your plan access with Retry | See When we can't confirm your plan access. |
Monthly alert line. Under the banner, a short line tells you how many alerts you can receive:
- When access is active (your plan includes alerts, or the add-on is active): "N of M alerts used this month", counting the order and store alerts sent so far against your monthly limit (for example 1000). Account and billing alerts never count toward it. If your plan has no monthly limit, the line is hidden.
- When locked: the counter is replaced by "Critical account alerts only. Add WhatsApp alerts (₹99/month) to get 1000 order and store alerts a month." The price and the number are whatever BillionBiz currently charges and allows (₹99 and 1000 are examples). If no price is available the line leaves the price out. If there is no monthly limit it ends "to get order and store alerts every month."
- When we can't confirm your plan access: neither line is shown until Retry succeeds.
Free on every plan (needs only a verified number, never counted against the monthly limit): the Account & billing category (renewal reminder, complimentary-plan renewal reminder, subscription expired, final suspension warning, account suspended, payment confirmed, plan limit reached) and the Security category (password changed). These carry a Free chip.
Unlocked by the add-on or the Max plan: Orders, Payments & refunds, Shipping, Inventory, Customers & support, Appointments and Other (bulk-import failures).
Unlock the add-on
Select Unlock
Use Unlock in the banner. On the Messages tab the same action is offered as Unlock for ₹99/month (price shown as an example) next to the count of locked alerts. The button reads "Opening checkout…" while it loads.
Pay in the checkout
A payment window titled BillionBiz WhatsApp Alerts ("WhatsApp Alerts add-on subscription") opens. The add-on is billed monthly. If your account credit covers the whole charge, it unlocks without a payment window.
Confirm
A toast says "WhatsApp Alerts unlocked." and the banner changes to WhatsApp Alerts add-on active. The locked alerts become switchable straight away. If you close the checkout instead, a notice says "Checkout closed. No payment was made." and nothing changes.
For how add-on payments, renewals and invoices appear, see Plans & Billing. The Unlock button is disabled when the add-on cannot be found for your account; try again later or contact support.
Choose your alerts
Under Choose your alerts, alerts are grouped into collapsible categories, all open by default: Account & billing, Security, Orders, Payments & refunds, Shipping, Inventory, Customers & support, Appointments and Other. Each category header shows how many of its alerts are on, for example "3 of 5 on". Each row shows the alert name, a description that is the actual wording of the WhatsApp message with its details shown in brackets (for example the order number), and a switch.
Switching an alert saves immediately. If the save fails, the switch jumps back and a message says "We couldn't save that change. Your setting is back to what it was."
| Row looks like | What it means |
|---|---|
| Switch on or off, enabled | A normal alert you can turn on or off. |
| Free chip | Account-critical alert, available without the add-on. |
| Always on chip, switch on and disabled | Cannot be turned off. Hover the switch for "Required for account safety". Two alerts are always on: Final warning — suspension in 24h and Account suspended. |
| Lock icon, Unlock to enable, switch off and disabled | Not included in your current access. Hover for "Unlock WhatsApp Alerts to receive this one". Any choice you saved earlier is kept and reappears after you unlock. |
| Every switch disabled | No verified number yet. |
Starting settings (before you change anything):
- On by default: all account, billing and security alerts; New order, Order cancelled; Payment failed, Refund requested, Refund failed; Shipment booking failed, Shipment / pickup issue; Low stock, Out of stock; New support ticket, New vendor application; New booking, Booking cancelled / rescheduled, Staff late for video call; Bulk import failed.
- Off by default: Order delivered, Refund completed, Order shipped, New review, Ticket reply.
Off-by-default alerts only start once you switch them on (and your access covers them).
Read the Messages log
Settings → WhatsApp alerts → Messages lists the alerts BillionBiz sent to your number in the period you pick, plus alerts it deliberately held back.
Without a verified number the tab shows "No WhatsApp number yet" with a Go to Preferences button, and nothing is fetched.
Summary bar at the top:
- When access is active: "N of M alerts used this month" (the same wording as the Preferences banner), the order and store alerts sent so far against the monthly limit (hidden if no limit applies).
- When locked: the same "Critical account alerts only. Add WhatsApp alerts (₹99/month) to get 1000 order and store alerts a month." line as the Preferences banner, in place of the counter (price and number shown as examples).
- When locked alerts were held back: "N alerts were not sent because they're locked." with the Unlock for ₹99/month button (price shown as an example).
Filters
| Filter | Options |
|---|---|
| Date range | Today, Yesterday, Last 7 days (the default), Custom |
| Custom range | From and To date fields (you cannot pick a future day). A range can span at most 90 days. Errors: "Choose both dates.", "The start date must be on or before the end date.", "Choose a range of up to 90 days." |
| Category | All categories, or one of the nine categories |
| Status | All, Sent, Delivered, Read, Failed, Not sent |
Days start and end at midnight Indian Standard Time, and times in the list are shown in IST ("Times are shown in Indian Standard Time (IST)."). Changing any filter returns you to page 1.
Reading a row. Each row shows the alert name, the time, a category chip and a status chip. Select a row to expand the full message text that was sent; select it again to collapse it. The list shows 25 rows at a time; when there are more, Previous, Next and "Page 1 of 3" appear under the list. The log keeps 90 days of history.
Statuses. Sent means we handed the message to WhatsApp, Delivered that it reached your phone, Read that you opened it, and Failed that WhatsApp could not deliver it. Not sent rows were held back on purpose and say why underneath:
| Reason shown | Why the alert was not sent | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Locked — unlock to receive | The alert is an operational one and your store has neither the Max plan nor an active add-on. | Unlock the add-on. |
| Monthly limit reached | Your store used up its monthly operational limit. | See The monthly limit. |
| Turned off | You switched that alert off in Preferences. | Switch it on in Preferences if you want it. |
Empty states. "No alerts were sent in this period." appears when nothing matches the date range alone. With a category or status filter active it reads "No messages match these filters." with a Clear filters button, which resets the category and status (not the date range). If the list fails to load: "We couldn't load your messages." with Try again.
When delivery status is unavailable
Delivered and Read marks come from WhatsApp's delivery reports. If those reports cannot be reached, a line appears above the list: "Delivery status is temporarily unavailable. Messages show as sent until it is back." While it shows, every message that would be Delivered or Read is labelled Sent instead, so the log never claims a delivery it cannot confirm. Nothing is wrong with your alerts; the real status returns on its own and the log updates the next time you load or filter it.
The monthly limit
Operational alerts (everything except the free account and security alerts) are capped per store per month. The default is 1,000 operational alerts a month; BillionBiz can change this value, so treat the number on your screen as the truth.
- Where you see it: a progress bar and "N of M alerts used this month" in the Preferences banner, and the same "N of M alerts used this month" line in the Messages tab summary bar. Both appear only while your plan includes alerts or the add-on is active. On a locked plan the counter is replaced by the "Critical account alerts only…" line described in Free alerts and the add-on.
- What counts: operational alerts that were actually sent. Free account and security alerts, and test messages, never count.
- When you reach it: further operational alerts are not sent; each appears in the Messages log as Not sent with the reason Monthly limit reached. Free account and security alerts keep arriving.
- Fresh start: the count restarts with the new calendar month.
When we can't confirm your plan access
Occasionally BillionBiz cannot look up what your plan and add-ons include. You will see We couldn't confirm your plan access with the line "Your alerts are not affected. Retry to refresh what your plan includes." in the Preferences banner, and a warning bar with Retry at the top of the Messages tab.
In this state:
- Nothing is styled as locked and no Unlock button is offered, so you cannot be sold something you may already have.
- Alerts you were already receiving are not switched off by this notice.
- Alerts that need access are held off in the list but without the Unlock to enable hint.
Select Retry. If the notice stays, wait a few minutes and reload the page. Do not buy the add-on while this notice shows.
On mobile
The page works on a phone browser. The Messages and Preferences tabs scroll sideways if the screen is narrow, the filter chips and the buttons on the number card wrap onto extra lines when there is no room, and tapping a message row expands its text. Date fields use your phone's own date picker.
Troubleshooting: why am I not getting alerts?
Fastest check
Open Settings → WhatsApp alerts → Messages, set the date range to include the time you expected the alert, and look for it. If it is there, the status and reason tell you what happened. If it is not there, the alert was never generated or is switched off; work down the list below.
- Is a number verified? With no number (or after Remove) every WhatsApp alert is paused, including billing alerts. Verify one in Preferences.
- Is that alert switched on? Find it under Choose your alerts. Several alerts, such as Order delivered, Order shipped, New review and Ticket reply, are off until you turn them on.
- Do you see "Unlock to enable" on it? Then it needs the Max plan or the add-on. You will still get the free account, billing and security alerts without it. The Messages log shows these as Not sent, Locked — unlock to receive.
- Did you hit the monthly limit? Look for Monthly limit reached in the log, or compare the usage figure to its limit.
- Does the page say it couldn't confirm your plan access? Select Retry.
- Is the status Sent or Delivered but nothing on the phone? Check the number is the right WhatsApp account, that WhatsApp is working on that phone, and that you have not muted or archived the BillionBiz chat. Use Send test message to confirm the number works.
- Is the status Failed? WhatsApp could not deliver it. Check the number is active on WhatsApp, then send a test message. If you changed numbers recently, confirm the card shows the number you expect.
- Verification code never arrives? Check the digits and country code, remember only 3 codes per hour are allowed, and wait for the resend countdown.
- Can't find the page, or it says you lack access? Only Owners and Store Admins can open WhatsApp alerts; other roles cannot.
- No usage counter, only "Critical account alerts only…"? Your store is on the locked state: only the free account, billing and security alerts are sent. Unlock the add-on, or move to a plan that includes alerts, and the counter appears.
- Looking for older messages? The log keeps 90 days, and a Custom range cannot exceed 90 days.
Related
- Support Tickets & Admin Notifications: the in-app notification bell and Notifications page.
- Settings Hub & Preferences: where the WhatsApp alerts card lives, and email notification preferences.
- WhatsApp Integration: the separate WhatsApp Business connection for messaging your customers.