> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ebrain.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ebrain.ai/ebrain-on-whatsapp/getting-started.md).
# Using eBrain on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a second front door to Tim. Once you link your phone number, you can chat, send voice notes, share photos and PDFs, and approve actions, all from your phone, with the same reading and acting abilities Tim has on the web.
{% hint style="info" %}
WhatsApp links to **one workspace at a time**, the workspace that is active when you connect. All your WhatsApp messages belong to that workspace. To use WhatsApp in a different workspace, disconnect and reconnect from there (your chat history will start fresh).
{% endhint %}
## Connect your WhatsApp number
Before you start, make sure you are signed in to eBrain with an active workspace and have WhatsApp installed on the phone whose number you want to link.
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
## Open the WhatsApp tile
Go to **Settings → Integrations** and find the **WhatsApp** tile ("Message Tim directly on WhatsApp."). Select the workspace you want to use first, then click **Connect securely**.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
## Read the connect dialog
The **Connect WhatsApp** dialog opens with the instruction "Open WhatsApp and send the code below to our number." It shows the **eBrain WhatsApp number**, a unique code in the form `EBRAIN-XXXXXX`, and a countdown ("Expires in"). The code is valid for **10 minutes**.
You have a few ways to send it:
* **Open in WhatsApp** opens a chat with the eBrain number and the code already filled in. Just hit send.
* On a desktop, **scan the QR code** with your phone to open the same pre-filled chat.
* Or type the `EBRAIN-XXXXXX` code into WhatsApp manually and send it to the displayed number.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
## Send the code and confirm
Send the code from the phone you want to link. eBrain matches it and links that phone number to your account and current workspace. You receive a **confirmation message back on WhatsApp** letting you know your account is linked and you can use Tim there just like in the app.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
## You are connected
Back in Settings, the tile updates to a connected state with a **Disconnect** option. You are ready to message Tim on WhatsApp.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
### If something goes wrong
The code expired
Codes expire after 10 minutes. You will see "This code has expired. Request a new one to continue." with a **Try again** action. If a previous attempt is still live, you can use **Resume verification**, or pick **Try a different number**.
"Too many codes requested"
There are hourly and daily caps on new codes. If you hit them, you will see "Too many codes requested. Please try again later." Wait a while and request a new code.
The number is already in use
If your WhatsApp number is already linked to a different eBrain account, verification fails with "This WhatsApp number is already linked to another eBrain account." Contact support for help.
The number is linked to another of your workspaces
A phone number can only be connected to one workspace at a time. You will see "Linked to another company." To move WhatsApp here, switch to the other workspace in the top-right menu, disconnect there, then reconnect from this workspace. Your chat history starts fresh after a move.
You messaged the number before linking
If you message the eBrain number from a number that is not yet linked, you get a one-time reply telling you it is not connected and pointing you to Settings to connect first. This applies to text, voice notes, photos, and PDFs.
{% hint style="info" %}
To disconnect, use **Disconnect WhatsApp** in Settings. This removes the link between your eBrain account and your WhatsApp number; you can reconnect any time.
{% endhint %}
## What you can do over WhatsApp
Once connected, Tim on WhatsApp can do the same things he does on the web: look things up and take action.
### Chat and ask
Send plain text questions just like in web chat. Tim can search across your email, calendar, contacts, tasks, meeting notes from Donna, your stored documents, and his long-term memory. He shows a typing indicator while he works, and your WhatsApp conversation is one continuous thread that remembers earlier messages.
### Send voice notes
Send a voice note and eBrain transcribes it automatically. Tim responds to your spoken request as if you had typed it.
### Share photos
Send a photo or image and Tim can read, describe, summarize, and answer questions about it, and act on it when you ask.
### Forward PDFs
Forward a PDF and Tim reads along. He can summarize it, quote it, answer questions, and take action (for example, importing an invoice). If a PDF can't be read (an image-only scan, encrypted, or corrupt), Tim tells you and asks for the key details or a text version.
{% hint style="warning" %}
WhatsApp accepts text, voice notes, photos, and PDFs. Other file types are not supported, and location pins are ignored. Send a sticker and you will get a fun sticker back.
{% endhint %}
### Take action, with approval
Tim can act, not just answer: send and reply to emails, schedule and update calendar events, manage tasks and projects, create contacts, save things to memory, send Donna to a meeting, and create or schedule agents.
Anything risky still needs your explicit approval first. When Tim prepares a risky action like sending an email or creating a calendar event, you get a **separate WhatsApp message with two buttons, Approve and Decline**. Tim's text reply tells you what he prepared (for an email, the recipient, subject, and gist); the buttons are how you confirm. Nothing happens until you tap one.
{% hint style="info" %}
Tapping a button is the only way to confirm. Typing "yes" does **not** approve a pending action, and Tim will remind you of that if you reply in text. Approval requests expire after **30 minutes**; if one lapses, just ask Tim to prepare it again. Low-risk actions (like creating a task or saving a memory) happen right away with no button. Learn more in [Approval flows explained](/chatting-with-tim/approval-flows.md).
{% endhint %}
### Find the same chat on the web
Your WhatsApp thread also appears in the web app's chat list, labeled **WhatsApp**, so you can review the same conversation from your browser.
## How WhatsApp differs from web chat
WhatsApp and the web app share the same Tim, but a few things work differently.
| | Web chat | WhatsApp |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Replies** | Rich text, tables, cards | Short, plain text with WhatsApp formatting (bold, italic, inline links) |
| **Approvals** | An inline approval card | A follow-up Approve/Decline button message (30-minute expiry) |
| **Specialist agents** | Tim can delegate to specialist sub-agents | Tim handles requests directly with his own tools |
| **Input types** | Files, images, voice dictation | Voice notes, photos, and PDFs (no other file types or location pins) |
| **Proactive outreach** | Does not push you messages | The channel eBrain uses to reach out first |
{% hint style="info" %}
Because Tim handles WhatsApp requests directly rather than delegating to specialists, very large multi-step jobs (deep research across several people or topics) are best done on the web. For everyday questions and actions, you won't notice a difference.
{% endhint %}
## Tim can also reach out to you
WhatsApp is the channel eBrain uses to message you first: quiet check-ins when something needs your attention, and reminders you ask Tim to set ("remind me at 3pm"). Both are opt-in and require a linked WhatsApp number.
---
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