Can I use WhatsApp Business for personal use?

Dominic Cowper

SEO Specialist

June 7, 2024

15 min read

Communication is essential to day-to-day living, and WhatsApp has played a big role in fostering human connections with communication.

WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are two of the most popular messenger apps across the globe because people love conversing over the app due to its features, security, and speed.

WhatsApp has now grown to be a widely used messaging service that links billions of users globally.

WhatsApp has completely evolved from just a messenger app. By introducing payments, location shareability, audio/video calls, and document attachments, the Messenger app is a one-stop solution for virtual interactions.

You might have also heard of WhatsApp Business, a customised version of WhatsApp made for businesses, designed primarily to meet the requirements of companies.

WhatsApp: The Meta product (formerly Facebook), WhatsApp has completely changed how people communicate with one another by making it simple to send and receive messages, make voice calls, and make video calls.

WhatsApp Business: Conversely, WhatsApp Business is a separate app created especially for companies. It provides a range of functionalities designed to improve client interaction, optimize workflow, and broaden the scope of the market.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the advantage of WhatsApp Business over WhatsApp?

With WhatsApp Business, brands can create a business profile and build trust. Businesses can share their contact information and working hours. Companies have the advantage of showcasing their catalog and responding to customers with quick replies, away messages, and greetings for a better customer care experience. These features are not available on WhatsApp’s normal app.

2. Which is safe WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business?

Both apps are safe to use. The messages are free and end-to-end encrypted.

In WhatsApp Business, once the message is received, it will be subject to the privacy policy followed by the business. To give customers control over their communication, WhatsApp displays a message informing them that their conversations are with a WhatsApp Business account. After reading this message, users are free to continue with the conversation or block/delete the number from their contact list.

3. Is WhatsApp Business safe for personal use?

As mentioned above, both apps are free and messages are secure. Therefore, it’s safe to use both apps.

WhatsApp Business serves a different purpose from the regular WhatsApp app. If you use the business account for personal use, your contacts will see a message notifying them about your account type.

4. Can we use WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business on the same phone?

Yes, you can use WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business on the same phone as long as you use a different phone number for them. To make this possible, you’ll need to use a dual-SIM phone and register both accounts with different phone numbers.

5. Can I use the same number for personal and business WhatsApp?

No, you cannot use the same phone number for personal and business WhatsApp. If you register for a business account using the same phone number, your personal account will be converted into a WhatsApp Business account.

6. Is WhatsApp Business free?

Yes, downloading the WhatsApp Business account is free on both Android and iPhone. Businesses are not charged for sending messages to customers.

7. Does it cost to message a WhatsApp Business account?

No, WhatsApp doesn’t levy any charges on users to send a message to a WhatsApp Business account.

8. Can I convert my WhatsApp to a business account?

Yes, you can migrate your WhatsApp personal account to a Business account. The process is fast, simple and reliable. When installing WhatsApp Business, you’ll be given the option to use the same number (WhatsApp auto-detects the number used on your personal account) or a different number. If you select the same number, your WhatsApp personal account will be converted to a business account.

9. How to verify a WhatsApp business account?

You can verify your WhatsApp Business account phone number during the activation step. To verify your phone number, enter the number you want to verify and receive the verification code. You can alternatively use the Call Me feature. Enter the verification code you get in SMS or in the phone call.

However, if you are looking for a green badge next to your name, this is possible only on the WhatsApp Business API account.

10. What are the disadvantages of WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp Business doesn’t have many features that a WhatsApp Business API has. Some of the disadvantages include:

1. It’s not GDPR compliant.

2. Only one person can handle queries. Chats cannot be transferred to anyone else.

3. Limited automation options.

4. Cannot sync with your CRM or other tools to personalise conversations and provide a seamless customer experience.

To Sum It Up

After looking at the differences between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business, it is obvious that WhatsApp Business has added advantages for businesses compared to personal WhatsApp Messenger.

New features are lined up for the business app to make it more engaging and a great tool for interacting with your customers. This app favours local business owners who have a small customer database.

Are you serious about your operations and want to take full advantage of engaging your customers on WhatsApp? In that case, the WhatsApp chatbot API solution is the best way to serve your purpose. And if you want to ace customer support on WhatsApp, we’d highly recommend you download our free comprehensive eBook on WhatsApp Customer Support.