WhatsApp, Meta, and phone channels

This guide shows you how to bring WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and text messages into your Spacebrain Inbox, and how to turn Facebook lead forms into CRM leads. It's for workspace admins setting up messaging channels.

These are three separate setups. Pick the ones you need:

Before you begin

• Role: Admin or Owner in Spacebrain. Other roles see Admin access required.
• Meta access: for WhatsApp and Facebook, sign in as someone with full control of the business in Meta Business Suite.
• Pop-ups: Meta opens in a new window. Allow pop-ups for Spacebrain.
• A test phone: a phone that isn't your business number, to send test messages.

Connect WhatsApp Business

What you need

• A WhatsApp Business account in Meta Business Suite, with at least one phone number already added to it. Numbers are set up in Meta first, then appear in Spacebrain.
• A Facebook login that manages that business.

Steps

1. Go to Integrations → Browse apps and select WhatsApp, or open the WhatsApp page from Integrations → Overview.
2. Select Connect WhatsApp. Meta opens in a new window.
3. Sign in and choose the business and WhatsApp Business account to share.
4. When the window closes, check the page says Connected.
5. Under WhatsApp Numbers, check the Business account ID and the numbers listed. The number marked (Default) is used when you don't pick one.
6. From your test phone, send a WhatsApp message to your business number.
7. Check it appears in Inbox → WhatsApp, then reply from Spacebrain and check the reply arrives.

What you should see: Connected. Inbound WhatsApp messages appear in your unified inbox; reply from any thread.

If no numbers appear

If you see No phone numbers found on this WhatsApp Business account, the connection worked but that account has no usable number. In Meta, check you picked the right business, that the number is added and approved, and that your login can manage it. Then reconnect. A number you bought in Spacebrain can't be used here unless it went through Meta's own WhatsApp setup.

Disconnecting WhatsApp

After you disconnect, new WhatsApp messages stop arriving and anything that sends over WhatsApp, including automations, fails until you reconnect. Past conversations stay in Spacebrain.

Connect Facebook and Instagram (Lead Ads and messages)

One Facebook connection powers three things: lead form submissions become CRM leads, and Messenger and Instagram direct messages arrive in your Inbox.

What you need

• A Facebook Page you manage. Lead forms and Messenger conversations belong to a Page.
• For Instagram messages: a professional Instagram account linked to that Page in Meta Business Suite. Link it first, and it connects along with the Page.

Spacebrain doesn't ask for permission to publish posts through this connection.

Connect and choose Pages

1. Go to Integrations → Browse apps and select Messenger or Instagram. Both open the Meta page.
2. Select Connect Facebook. Facebook opens in a new window.
3. Sign in and pick the Pages to share when Facebook asks.
4. Back in Spacebrain, review Connected Pages. Each Page shows Lead Access or No Lead Access, and Subscribed or Not Subscribed.
5. Turn on Receive leads and messages from for each Page that belongs to this workspace. Leave others off.
6. Send a test Messenger message to the Page, and an Instagram message if linked.
7. Check each arrives in the right Inbox channel, and that your reply reaches the sender.

A Page can receive messages even without lead access. In that case View Forms is unavailable. Treat messages and lead forms as two separate checks.

Set up lead forms

1. On a Page with lead access, select View Forms.
2. For a form, open Mapping. Spacebrain suggests matches (Auto-suggested from your form fields — review and save).
3. Check each Meta Field is matched to the right Spacebrain Field, such as email, phone, or company. Remove any field you don't want to store.
4. Select Save Mapping.
5. Choose a sync policy:
   • Sync all leads imports every submission.
   • Only sync if email present skips submissions without an email.
   • Manual sync only imports only when you ask.
6. Submit a test lead from Meta's lead form testing tool.
7. Check the new lead in the CRM: its fields, owner, and any automations it triggers.
8. Only then use Backfill to import older submissions. It can bring in a lot of leads at once and trigger automations for each one.

What you should see: imported leads appear under Imported Leads with a status of New, Processed, or Error, plus the campaign and ad when Meta provides them.

If the Meta connection stops working

• There is an issue with your Meta connection. Please reconnect. or Your Meta access token has expired. Select Reconnect and sign in as a Page admin.
• No pages found. Your Facebook login isn't an admin of any Page. Reconnect with a login that is.

Disconnecting Meta stops lead forms, Messenger, and Instagram at once. Leads and conversations already in Spacebrain are kept.

Buy a Spacebrain phone number

Phone numbers are bought with workspace credits. They are not a sign-in connection.

1. Go to Chat & Voice → Phone Numbers and select Buy a number.
2. Choose a country and, where offered, an area code and a type such as Local or Toll-free.
3. Review the setup cost, monthly renewal, and total due now, shown in credits.
4. Fill in any registration details required for that country or number type.
5. Select Buy with credits.
6. Select Assign to agent to have an AI agent answer, or set up forwarding.
7. Call and text the number from a test phone before you share it.

Numbers renew monthly from your credits. If renewal credits run out, the number shows Paused because renewal credits ran out. Select Add credits, then refresh once renewal restores it. You can also Pause number, Resume number, or Unassign agent. Unassigning doesn't cancel the number or its monthly renewal.

Test every channel

Using a phone or account that isn't your business's own:

1. Send a new message and check it creates or matches the right contact.
2. Check it shows the right channel, Page, or number.
3. Check the right teammate or agent is notified.
4. Reply once and check it arrives once.
5. Test opt-out (for example, texting STOP).

If a send seems to time out, check the conversation before trying again. It may have gone through.

FAQ

Can I use my existing business number for WhatsApp?

Only if it's added to your WhatsApp Business account in Meta. Spacebrain lists the numbers Meta shares.

Do I need Lead Ads to get Messenger messages?

No. A subscribed Page receives messages even without lead access.

Next step

Set up who answers each channel in Inbox channels.