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For Google Workspace teams

WhatsApp Google Chat integration: every customer gets a thread

Bring WhatsApp into Google Chat. New WhatsApp conversations post to a shared space, each one in its own thread, and your team replies right there. Customers stay in WhatsApp, your team stays in Google Workspace.

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Meta Tech Provider · Official WhatsApp Business Platform

  • 14-day free trial
  • Unlimited agents on Basic and up

How it works

How WhatsApp works in Google Chat spaces and threads

Google Chat already has the right shape for customer messaging. A space is a shared room for the team, and threads keep each conversation tidy. Social Intents maps WhatsApp onto that structure, so there is nothing new for your team to learn.

Space

Where WhatsApp chats arrive. Anyone who is a member of the space where the Social Intents app is installed can see and answer them.

Thread

One WhatsApp conversation. Each customer chat is grouped into its own thread, so several conversations can run in one space without getting mixed up.

Chat app

The Social Intents app you add to the space. It posts each new conversation as a card and carries replies between the thread and WhatsApp.

Reply in the thread, talk in the space. Only messages posted inside a conversation’s thread are sent to the customer on WhatsApp. Anything posted in the main space stays internal, which makes it easy to ask a colleague for help without the customer seeing it.

Route WhatsApp to the right Google Chat space

Add the Social Intents app to more than one space and let the AI chatbot decide where each conversation belongs. Set it up with Escalate Chat to Human actions in AI Actions, one per space.

Incoming WhatsApp
Do you offer group discounts?
The booking link gives me an error
What time do you open on Sunday?
AI chatbot reads the topic
  • S
    Sales Support
    Group discounts and pricing questions
  • T
    Tech Support
    Booking errors and account problems
  • C
    Customer Service
    Or answered by the chatbot when it knows the answer

Configuration details: Escalation routing in Google Chat

Answer WhatsApp from Google Chat without losing anything

What makes a WhatsApp conversation hard to run from a shared phone is handled for you.

An AI chatbot takes the first message

Turn on a ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini chatbot for the widget that handles WhatsApp and it answers before anyone in the space is notified. Trained on your website content, knowledge base and FAQs, it can answer opening hours, prices or policies and then hand the customer to your team with the full exchange attached.

Nobody shares a phone

Agents answer from Google Chat on the web or the Google Chat mobile app. They never need a WhatsApp account.

Media comes through

Customers can send images, PDFs, audio and video. Agents can reply with images and documents.

24-hour window safety net

Reply after WhatsApp's customer service window closes and Social Intents sends your re-engagement template instead, then tells the agent.

More than one number

Pro includes five WhatsApp numbers and Business includes ten, so each brand, region or department can have its own.

History that outlives the thread

Every WhatsApp conversation is saved to your Social Intents chat history and reports, and closed conversations send the full transcript to your webhooks and Zapier, just like website chats. Responder names come from their Google Workspace profiles, so you always know who answered.

Your Google Workspace is already the help desk

Add WhatsApp to it with unlimited agents on Basic and up, from $69/month billed annually.

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Campaigns

Campaign replies become Google Chat threads

Send a WhatsApp broadcast to your opted-in contacts and the answers do not pile up in a separate campaign tool. Each reply opens a conversation in the same space as every other WhatsApp chat, ready for the next free teammate.

Compliance is built in: every contact carries opt-in evidence, STOP opt-outs are automatic, a frequency guard and pre-flight checks run before sending, and quiet hours keep sends to 9 AM–8 PM by default. Monthly broadcast limits are 2,000 on Basic, 10,000 on Pro and 50,000 on Business, and US numbers can fall back to SMS.

  1. Tuesday 10:00 · Broadcast sent

    “Spring term enrollment is open. Reply with your child’s age and we’ll suggest a class.”

  2. New chat request

    She’s 7, any Saturday options?

    2 replies in thread
  3. New chat request

    Twins, both 9. Is there a sibling discount?

    Routed to Sales Support

Setup

Connect WhatsApp to Google Chat

No code and no API keys. Social Intents registers your number with the Cloud API and subscribes to Meta’s webhooks for you. Step-by-step docs: WhatsApp with Google Chat.

Checklist before you begin

  • A Google Workspace account (not personal Gmail)
  • Permission to install Chat apps, or an admin who can approve one
  • A Meta Business account and the number customers will message
  • Using the WhatsApp Business app on that number? Keep it with coexistence

  1. Add the Social Intents app to Google Chat

    Start a free trial and click Add to Google Chat on the Add Live Chat Agents step. Authorize the app for your Google Workspace.

  2. Add the app to a space

    Create a space such as “WhatsApp Support”, invite the people who should answer and add the Social Intents app. The space is linked to your account automatically.

  3. Connect WhatsApp and route it

    In Settings > Outbound Settings, click Connect WhatsApp, finish Meta’s popup, then pick your Google Chat widget under Route Inbound to Chat App.

  4. Test it from your phone

    Send a WhatsApp message to your business number. A card appears in the space within seconds. Reply in its thread and check your phone.

Who answers WhatsApp in Google Chat

Teams that run on Google Workspace and want customers to reach them on the app they already use every day.

Schools and universities

Admissions and student services teams already live in Google Workspace. Parents and students can message on WhatsApp while staff answer from a shared space.

Small businesses

Studios, clinics, shops and agencies get a proper WhatsApp team setup without buying another helpdesk. One plan covers the whole team.

Remote and global teams

WhatsApp is how many international customers prefer to talk. Spread coverage across time zones and let whoever is online pick up the thread.

Nonprofits

Volunteers and staff can share one WhatsApp number for programs and donors, with every conversation saved for the next person on shift.

WhatsApp Google Chat integration FAQ

What Google Workspace teams ask before connecting WhatsApp.

How does the WhatsApp Google Chat integration work?
Social Intents connects your WhatsApp Business number through Meta's official Cloud API and routes inbound messages to a chat widget connected to Google Chat. Each new conversation is posted to your Google Chat space as a card showing the customer's phone number, a WhatsApp label and their first message. Your team replies in that conversation's thread, and Social Intents delivers the reply to the customer on WhatsApp.

Does it work with a personal Gmail account?
No. Google Chat apps require Google Workspace, so the integration needs a Workspace account. Personal Gmail accounts are not supported. Your customers, of course, only need WhatsApp.

Where do agents type their replies?
Inside the thread for that conversation. Each WhatsApp chat is its own thread in the space, and messages posted inside the thread are sent to the customer. Messages posted in the main space, outside the thread, are not forwarded, which leaves room for internal discussion.

Can WhatsApp go to a different space than our website chats?
Yes. Create a separate widget for WhatsApp, connect it to the space you want and select it under Route Inbound to Chat App in Outbound Settings. You can also add the app to several spaces and use escalation routing so the AI chatbot sends each conversation to the right space by topic.

Is Social Intents an official WhatsApp provider?
Yes. Social Intents is a Meta Tech Provider. You connect your number through Meta’s Embedded Signup, and messages go through the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API). Meta bills message fees to your own WhatsApp Business Account.

Will my WhatsApp number get banned?
Bans usually come from unofficial tools that automate the WhatsApp app, or from messaging people who never asked to hear from you. Social Intents is built on the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API), so you are using WhatsApp the way Meta intends. Meta still gives every number a quality rating based on how people respond, so message contacts who opted in, keep content relevant and honor opt-outs. STOP and UNSUBSCRIBE replies are processed automatically, and broadcasts run pre-flight checks and respect a 9 AM–8 PM send window by default.

Can I switch from my current WhatsApp provider?
Usually, yes, and you keep the same phone number. Meta supports moving a number that is already on the WhatsApp Business Platform to a new provider. In most cases two-step verification must be turned off on the number first, and depending on how the move is done your approved templates are copied over or need to be resubmitted. If your number is on the WhatsApp Business app instead, you can connect it with coexistence. Talk to our team before you switch and we will confirm the steps for your account.

How much does it cost?
WhatsApp and Google Chat are included on the Basic plan ($69/month billed annually, or $79 monthly) with unlimited agents and one WhatsApp number. Pro includes five numbers and Business includes ten. Meta bills its WhatsApp messaging fees to your own WhatsApp Business account with no markup. Try it free for 14 days with no credit card.

Related WhatsApp resources

More ways to get value from WhatsApp in Google Workspace.

WhatsApp team inbox How Social Intents turns one WhatsApp number into a shared team inbox. WhatsApp Microsoft Teams integration Run the same WhatsApp workflow from Teams channels instead. WhatsApp coexistence Keep the WhatsApp Business app and answer from Google Chat on one number. WhatsApp Business multiple users Every way to share one WhatsApp number with a team, compared. WhatsApp marketing Grow an opted-in audience and turn campaigns into conversations. WhatsApp templates 90 free, copy-ready templates across 34 categories. WhatsApp QR code generator Print a QR code that opens a chat with your business. Free WhatsApp tools Link generator, QR codes, text formatter and pricing calculator. Google Chat for customer support Answer website chats from Google Chat spaces as well.
  • Meta Tech Provider on the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API)
  • Unlimited agents on Basic and up
  • 14-day free trial, no credit card
  • Meta fees billed by Meta, no markup
Google Chat

Give every WhatsApp customer a thread your whole team can see

Connect WhatsApp to Google Chat, invite your team to the space and start answering today.

Start Free Trial Book a Demo

14-day free trial · No credit card required · Unlimited agents on Basic and up