Meta has permanently shut down the WhatsApp On-Premises API. As of October 23, 2025, the final supported version of the On-Premises client expired, and any business phone number still tied to an on-prem server can no longer send or receive WhatsApp messages. If your business — or your agency, BSP, or IT team — never migrated to Cloud API, your WhatsApp messaging is effectively down, including OTPs, order updates, and customer support conversations.
What exactly changed
Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform has offered two ways to connect to the API for years: the self-hosted On-Premises API, where businesses ran their own server containers, and the Cloud API, hosted directly by Meta. From October 23, 2025 onward:
- Business phone numbers can only be registered for Cloud API. Attempting to register a number for On-Premises API returns error code 1005.
- Any messages sent to or from a number still registered on On-Premises API will not be delivered at all.
- There is no grace period or fallback — the shutdown is absolute, not a gradual deprecation.
This didn't happen overnight. Meta signalled the change well in advance: after the release of On-Premises API version 2.53 in January 2024, all new features went exclusively to Cloud API, with the legacy client receiving only bug fixes and security patches in the interim. Businesses had close to two years' notice to plan a migration.
Why Meta made this move
Meta's stated rationale centres on performance, cost, and compliance:
- Cloud API supports up to 1,000 messages per second — four times the throughput of On-Premises API.
- It has delivered 99.9% uptime with sub-5-second p99 latency since launch in 2022.
- Some partners report a 90%+ reduction in infrastructure costs after moving off self-hosted servers.
- Cloud API carries enterprise security certifications including GDPR and LGPD compliance, and SOC2/SOC3 certification — relevant for regulated sectors handling customer data.
In short, Meta is arguing that running your own on-prem containers no longer makes economic or operational sense compared to a fully managed cloud infrastructure.
Why this matters more in India
A meaningful share of Indian enterprises built their WhatsApp integrations on On-Premises API specifically for data-residency and compliance reasons — this is common among banks, NBFCs, insurers, large D2C brands, and BPOs that wanted messaging infrastructure inside their own network perimeter. Many of these setups were configured years ago and haven't been actively revisited since.
If your organisation falls into that category and hasn't confirmed a Cloud API migration, assume your WhatsApp channel is currently non-functional. This isn't a performance dip — it's a hard outage affecting:
- Transactional OTPs for login, payments, and KYC
- Order confirmations and delivery updates
- Customer support and query resolution
- Any automated workflow triggered by inbound or outbound WhatsApp messages
What to do next
If you're still on On-Premises API, or you're not certain which setup your business uses, the immediate steps are:
- Confirm with your IT team or WhatsApp solution provider which API your business phone numbers are registered on.
- If any number is still tied to On-Premises API, initiate migration to Cloud API without delay — either directly through Meta or through a Business Solution Provider (BSP) such as Hyyper.
- Use the migration as an opportunity to review hosting costs. Meta's claimed infrastructure savings on Cloud API are substantial, and most Indian businesses no longer need to maintain dedicated servers for WhatsApp messaging.
- Re-verify compliance requirements against Cloud API's current certifications (GDPR, LGPD, SOC2, SOC3) rather than assuming on-prem was the only compliant option.
Working with a BSP simplifies this considerably, since the provider handles the Cloud API connection, number registration, and ongoing infrastructure — removing the need to manage servers in-house at all.
FAQ
What happens if my business number is still registered on On-Premises API?
Messages sent to or from that number will not be delivered. There is no partial functionality — the number is effectively cut off from WhatsApp messaging until it's migrated to Cloud API.
Is there any way to still register a new number on On-Premises API?
No. Registration attempts for On-Premises API now return error code 1005. New and re-registered numbers can only be set up on Cloud API.
How long does migrating from On-Premises to Cloud API take?
This depends on the complexity of your existing integration, but Meta and BSPs have had the migration path available since January 2024, and most businesses can complete it faster by working through a BSP rather than migrating in-house.
Does moving to Cloud API affect message templates or approved numbers?
Existing approved templates and verified business profiles generally carry over during migration, but businesses should confirm specifics with their BSP or Meta's migration documentation before starting the process.