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Deprecation WhatsApp Severity: high

WhatsApp Business On-Premises API is deprecated: Meta points to the Cloud API

Announced26 Nov 2025
EffectiveNot stated
PlatformWhatsApp

What changed

On November 26, 2025, Meta added this warning to the README of its official WhatsApp-Business-API-Setup-Scripts repository: "The WhatsApp Business On-premises API is now deprecated. Please use the WhatsApp Business Cloud API instead." On December 4, 2025, Meta removed the On-Premises API client code from the same repository. Neither commit states a final shutdown date.

What it means

Businesses still running the self-hosted On-Premises API have no supported path forward on it: Meta says to use the WhatsApp Business Cloud API instead.

Who is affected

Businesses and solution providers that host the WhatsApp Business On-Premises API on their own servers, and tools built on it.

What to do

Plan the move to the Cloud API now. Meta's public GitHub gives no final shutdown date, so check the date in your WhatsApp Manager or with your solution provider.

What this means for you

There used to be two ways to connect a business to WhatsApp through an API: one you ran on your own servers, and one Meta runs for you, the Cloud API. Meta now says the self-hosted one is deprecated. If your business or your provider still uses it, it is time to switch to the Cloud API. If you only use the WhatsApp Business app, nothing changes for you.

The details

  • Announced: November 26, 2025, in the README of Meta's official WhatsApp/WhatsApp-Business-API-Setup-Scripts repository (commit 6cb320b, by a Meta engineer): "The WhatsApp Business On-premises API is now deprecated. Please use the WhatsApp Business Cloud API instead."
  • Code removed: December 4, 2025, commit 7283fe1 ("Removing On-premises API client codebase") deleted the On-Premises client setup from the repository.
  • Not stated: a final date after which On-Premises stops working. The repository gives none, and this site does not read Meta's own developer pages, where a date may be published.
  • Where to go: the Cloud API, which Meta hosts. Our guide WhatsApp Cloud API basics covers the first message, tokens and templates.

What to do next

  • Business owners: Ask whoever runs your WhatsApp integration whether it uses the On-Premises API. If it does, ask for their Cloud API migration date.
  • Marketers and agencies: Check each client's WhatsApp setup before planning campaigns for 2026; an On-Premises client needs a migration first.
  • Developers: Move sending, templates and webhooks to the Cloud API endpoints, and read the shutdown date in WhatsApp Manager before you schedule the cutover.

Primary sources

Checked against the source 8 Nov 2026

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