ElevenLabs has launched a new integration that allows businesses to connect their WhatsApp Business accounts directly to ElevenLabs AI agents, enabling automated message conversations and voice calls.
Connecting WhatsApp Business Accounts
To set up the integration, users must go to the ElevenLabs accounts page and select the account import button. According to ElevenLabs, this triggers an authorization flow that grants ElevenLabs management permissions. Once the import is complete, users land on a settings page where they must assign an agent to the account. ElevenLabs warns that if no agent is assigned, incoming messages are ignored and incoming calls are rejected, though outgoing calls remain functional. Users must also configure the WhatsApp Manager to set profile pictures, allow voice calls, and add a payment method for outbound calling.
Managing Message Conversations and Audio Responses
Imported phone numbers feature individual settings to control agent behavior, including message activation, audio message responses, and typing indicators. By default, agents respond to incoming voice memos with generated audio messages using the agent’s assigned voice and language. If audio generation fails, the system automatically falls back to a text reply. ElevenLabs notes that audio messages incur additional text-to-speech and speech-to-text API charges. Message conversations automatically terminate based on specific system rules, such as when an agent uses a conversation end system tool, when a maximum conversation time elapses, or after a default inactivity timeout of 15 minutes following the agent’s most recent response.
Handling Incoming and Outgoing Communications
The AI agents are capable of processing diverse input formats beyond plain text, including quoted replies, emoji reactions, template button taps, and interactive list options. Incoming voice memos are transcribed to text before reaching the agent. For outbound engagement, users can send Meta-approved message templates via the dashboard or API to initiate conversations and schedule outbound calls. The system also supports dynamic variables such as `system__caller_id` and `system__called_number` to capture WhatsApp user IDs and WhatsApp phone numbers for CRM integration and context initialization.
Certain WhatsApp features remain unsupported
Several features are not supported in the initial release of the WhatsApp integration. ElevenLabs states that WhatsApp Flows, video messages, message batch processing, numbers managed by other providers, developer-app-generated WABAs, click-to-WhatsApp ad attribution metadata, and agent handoff are currently unavailable, though the company is collaborating with Meta on multi-solution conversations and agent handoffs.
What happens to unassigned messages and audio fees?
What happens to incoming messages if an agent is not assigned to an imported WhatsApp account?
Unassigned incoming messages are ignored by the system, and incoming calls are automatically rejected, although outgoing calls can still be placed.
Do audio message responses incur additional fees?
Yes, audio messages generate additional charges for speech recognition and text-to-speech processing, priced identically to standard STT and TTS APIs.
How long does an inactive message conversation stay open before timing out?
The default inactivity timeout is 15 minutes, measured strictly from the timestamp of the agent’s most recent response.
Are WhatsApp Flows supported in this integration?
No, WhatsApp Flows and interactive form submissions are currently unsupported, and flow replies are not passed to the agent.