How to Connect WhatsApp, Instagram & SMS to Front

How channels work in Front

Every messaging channel in Front connects the same way and ends up in the same place. From Settings → Channels, you click Connect channel, pick the channel type, and route it into a shared inbox (for a support, sales, or ops team) or an individual inbox. Once connected, that channel's conversations sit alongside email — the same tags, rules, assignments, comments, and analytics apply, regardless of whether a message arrived by SMS or Gmail. If you want the conceptual model of how channels, inboxes, and workspaces relate, Front channels explained covers it; here we're connecting.

Two things are worth setting up before you start. First, decide which inbox each channel belongs to — a shared WhatsApp inbox for support is very different from a personal SMS line for one account manager. Second, know that most social channels require a Meta or Twilio account on the other side, and some require a Front admin and a paid plan. We flag each requirement per channel below.

Connect a WhatsApp Business channel

WhatsApp is the highest-value and most rule-bound of the three, so start here. Per Front's guide to setting up a WhatsApp channel, the native integration is an add-on that a Front company admin must enable, it requires the Professional plan or above, and you'll need a Meta Business Account ready before you begin. Front bills the add-on at Meta's per-message cost plus a 20% administrative fee, so this channel has a usage-based line item the others don't.

1. In Settings → Channels, click Connect channel and select WhatsApp, then Connect.
2. Authenticate via Meta/Facebook login and grant the requested permissions.
3. Provide your business information, then create or select an existing WhatsApp Business Account.
4. Verify the phone number for the account (Meta sends a code by text or call).
5. Route conversations to the inbox you want them in, and save.

The 24-hour window is the rule that defines WhatsApp. Front is explicit: "WhatsApp gives you 24 hours to respond to an inbound message. If you try to reply to an inbound customer message that is more than 24 hours old, you will see an error." Inside that window your agents reply freely with normal messages. Outside it — or to start a brand-new outbound conversation — you must use a Meta-approved template, sent to one recipient at a time. Those templates are created and approved in Meta Business Manager and sync into Front automatically; you can map Front variables into them, but you can't edit the wording in Front, which is deliberate — it keeps you compliant with Meta's rules.

A few honest limits worth knowing up front: new messages, replies, and read status sync two-way, but historical WhatsApp messages don't import — only conversations going forward. WhatsApp Business Platform numbers can't make voice calls, group chats aren't supported, and each message carries a single attachment — text or media, not both.

If you'd rather run WhatsApp through Twilio than Meta directly, Front supports that too. Per its Twilio WhatsApp guide, you first get a WhatsApp-enabled Twilio number approved (Twilio processes this over several business days), then in Connect channel choose Twilio/WhatsApp, enter your Twilio Account SID and Auth token, pick the number, click Verify account, and finish by pasting Front's webhook URL into the number's settings in the Twilio console. Same 24-hour window applies.

Connect an Instagram DM channel

Instagram DMs connect through Meta as well, but with lighter requirements than WhatsApp. Per Front's Instagram inbox setup, the account you connect must be a business account — not a creator account — it must be linked to your business's Facebook Page, and the Allow Access to Messages setting must be enabled in your Instagram account. Miss any of those and the connection will fail or messages won't flow.

1. In Settings → Channels, click Connect channel, and under Messaging select Instagram.
2. Click Connect to Instagram and complete the Meta authentication.
3. Grant Front access to the linked Facebook Page and Instagram Business account.
4. Route Instagram DMs into your chosen inbox and save.

If your team also fields Facebook messages, comments, and post replies, that's a sibling channel: Connect channel → Facebook → Connect to Facebook lets you manage direct messages and Page posts and comments from Front, per its Facebook inbox guide. One caveat mirrors WhatsApp's window: Front can only send a reply if the person messaged you within the last 7 days — after that the thread still appears, but a reply attempt returns a draft error.

Connect an SMS (Twilio) channel

SMS is the workhorse channel for transactional and account teams, and Front connects it through Twilio. You'll need a Twilio account with a messaging-capable number and your API credentials from the Twilio Console.

1. In Settings → Channels, click Connect channel and select SMS.
2. Give the channel a Name, then paste your Twilio Account SID and Auth token (both live on your Twilio Console dashboard).
3. Enter or select the phone number you want to send and receive from.
4. Route conversations into the target inbox and save.

If you're sending business SMS in the US, you're almost certainly on A2P 10DLC (application-to-person 10-digit long codes), the carrier registration scheme that governs deliverability. Front supports A2P 10DLC numbers, but per Front's Twilio SMS setup guide there are two configuration steps easy to miss: copy your registered campaign's sample messages into Front message templates to stay compliant, and set your campaign's Messaging Service to "Defer to Sender's Webhook" so inbound texts actually route to Front instead of getting swallowed by Twilio. Skip the webhook setting and you'll send fine but never receive — the single most common SMS-in-Front support ticket.

Which channel path should you pick?

The channels share a wizard but not their constraints. This is the shape of what you're signing up for:

For a broader tour of what plugs into Front and how the native channels compare to third-party apps, the best Front integrations is a good companion read.

The honest limits — and where an AI layer helps

Front's channel connectors are genuinely good at what they do: they unify every conversation into one shared inbox so a support agent, a salesperson, and an ops teammate all work the same thread with the same context. Credit where it's due — that consolidation is the whole point of Front, and no bolt-on replaces it.

But the connectors move messages, not meaning, and each channel adds a clock. WhatsApp's 24-hour window and Facebook's 7-day window mean a slow reply doesn't just annoy a customer — it can become an error your agent can't send around, forcing a stiff pre-approved template instead of a real answer. SMS has no window but no context either: a "where's my order?" text arrives with a phone number and nothing else. And the richest WhatsApp features sit behind a paid plan and a usage-metered add-on. These aren't Front's failings so much as the platforms' rules — but they're exactly the seam where an AI agent layer earns its keep.

That's what Macha does. It runs on top of the Front you already use through the live Macha–Front connector — it doesn't replace Front, your channels, or your inboxes. When a WhatsApp or SMS message lands, Macha's agent reads the actual intent, pulls the real order or account record through a custom tool that turns your REST API into something the agent can call, and drafts or sends a grounded reply inside the 24-hour window, before a template is your only option. The broader category of AI agents for customer service exists for precisely this reasoning-over-channels work, and connecting Front to Macha to route conversations to AI walks through the wiring. Macha's credits are consumed per AI action, never per resolution — so a channel that used to mean "acknowledged and waiting" becomes "read, understood, and answered."

FAQ

How do I connect WhatsApp to Front? Go to Settings → Channels → Connect channel, select WhatsApp, authenticate via Meta, select or create your WhatsApp Business Account, verify the phone number, and route conversations to an inbox. The native WhatsApp channel requires a Meta Business Account, a Front company admin to enable the add-on, and the Professional plan or above.

What is the WhatsApp 24-hour window in Front? WhatsApp gives you 24 hours to reply to an inbound message with normal text. Reply to a message older than 24 hours and Front shows an error; to message outside the window — or to start a new outbound conversation — you must use a Meta-approved template, one recipient at a time.

How do I connect Instagram DMs to Front? Use Connect channel → Messaging → Instagram → Connect to Instagram. The Instagram account must be a business account (not creator), linked to your business's Facebook Page, with Allow Access to Messages enabled.

Do WhatsApp and Instagram conversations import my message history? No. Front syncs new messages, replies, and read status going forward, but historical messages from before you connected the channel don't import.

Why aren't my Twilio SMS messages arriving in Front? Almost always the A2P 10DLC webhook. Set your campaign's Messaging Service to "Defer to Sender's Webhook" in Twilio so inbound texts route to Front, and copy your registered campaign's sample messages into Front templates for compliance.

Ready to turn every channel from "acknowledged" into "answered"? Start a free trial of Macha and connect it to your Front in minutes.