Channels & Providers¶
Settings → Providers is where you connect your own Email, SMS, and WhatsApp sender, and where you can send a live test message to confirm it works.
Email¶
Connect SMTP (any mailbox: Gmail, Zoho, your own domain) or Brevo. Fields:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| SMTP Host / Port | Port 465 = SSL, port 587 = STARTTLS. Most providers use one of these two. |
| Username / Password | Your mailbox credentials. |
| From Address | What recipients see as the sender. |
If you don't connect your own, email still sends, from the platform's shared sender.
SMS¶
Connect your own Africa's Talking account (username, API key, Sender ID). If you don't, SMS still sends through the platform's shared shortcode.
WhatsApp¶
Connect via Connect WhatsApp Number (a guided popup through Meta, no copying tokens by hand) where available, or ask your account contact to set your Phone Number ID manually as a fallback.
Why WhatsApp has no shared fallback¶
Unlike Email and SMS, WhatsApp doesn't have a "platform default" you'll silently fall back to. Two things are required before any WhatsApp message will send for your account:
- An active WhatsApp subscription, a small monthly plan sized to your expected message volume (see Subscriptions & Billing).
- Your own connected WhatsApp Business number.
This is deliberate, not a gap. A WhatsApp Business number carries your business's own verified identity and message history, and there's no equivalent to a "shared shortcode" that would make sense for it. If either requirement isn't met, WhatsApp sends for your account simply don't go out (every other channel keeps working normally) rather than silently going out under someone else's number.
Testing a connection¶
Once connected, use Test Connection: leave the recipient blank to just verify your credentials (checks your number's status with Meta, no message sent), or enter a real phone number to send an actual test message and confirm delivery end to end.
Choosing which channel(s) a notification uses¶
Each notification type (order confirmed, invoice sent, OTP, and so on) can be turned on or off per channel from Settings → Notifications. Click the sliders icon on any row to open the channel picker. It always lists every platform channel, so you can see at a glance which ones this type supports. A channel with no template yet for that type shows disabled with a "No template yet" label rather than being hidden, so "not available yet" and "available but you turned it off" never look the same.
For order updates (placed, ready, out for delivery, delivered, cancelled, refunded, scheduled, for pickup) and payment results (payment successful, payment failed, refund completed), this is a real, working choice today. Enable WhatsApp and/or SMS alongside email and customers receive it on every channel you've turned on for that type, using whichever contact details (email, phone) they have on file. Most other notification types are still email-only while their WhatsApp/SMS templates roll out (see Message Templates). The channel picker always shows you exactly where each type currently stands rather than promising a channel that isn't wired yet.