What is the On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model?
The On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model was an account ownership arrangement on the WhatsApp Business Platform in which a Business Solution Provider (BSP) created the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) inside its own business portfolio and operated it on behalf of a client. The client business was recorded as the business the account served, and its display name appeared to customers, but the partner was the owner: it held the admin rights, attached its own credit line and controlled the account's settings. It was the dominant way agencies and providers onboarded clients in the platform's early years, before Embedded Signup made self-service onboarding the norm.
OBO was convenient for the partner — no client clicks, payment handled centrally — but it left the business renting its own WhatsApp presence. Moving to another provider required the old partner to cooperate, and the client could not see or manage parts of an account that carried its own name. The shared WABA model reversed this: the client owns the account in its own portfolio and shares it with partners, who receive permissions rather than ownership.
Meta formally retired OBO in 2025. Partner-initiated WhatsApp Business Account creation became available to all Solution Partners on 24 March 2025; 29 September 2025 was the last day to onboard a client to OBO; and 1 October 2025 was the last day for partners to transfer ownership of OBO accounts to their clients, after which Meta auto-migrated eligible accounts in batches through the end of 2025. Meta's documentation now says the model is deprecated and "no longer possible". This page is a history page: it explains what OBO was and why it still matters for audits and migrations, while shared WABA describes how accounts work today.
Key takeaways
- The On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model let a partner own the WhatsApp Business Account in its own business portfolio and run it for a client.
- Meta deprecated OBO: 29 September 2025 was the last day to onboard clients to it and 1 October 2025 the last day to transfer accounts.
- Eligible OBO accounts left after that date were auto-migrated to their clients in batches through the end of 2025.
- Its replacements are client-owned accounts shared through Embedded Signup and, for Solution Partners, partner-initiated account creation.
- Old OBO accounts explain why some businesses still find a partner's name in their account history or ownership fields.
Scrub through the end of partner-owned accounts
23 Sep 2026NowEvent 7 of 7
New account model
A client's WhatsApp account can be shared with several partners, each with its own Messaging account.
Event 7 of 7: 23 Sep 2026 — New account model (now). A client's WhatsApp account can be shared with several partners, each with its own Messaging account.
Key facts at a glance
The On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model: key facts and limits
- Owner under OBO
- The partner's business portfolio
- Partner-initiated creation available
- 24 March 2025 (all Solution Partners)
- Last day to onboard to OBO
- 29 September 2025
- Last day to transfer OBO accounts
- 1 October 2025
- Auto-migration
- Eligible accounts moved to clients in batches through end of 2025
- Status today
- Deprecated; no longer possible
- Replaced by
- Client-owned accounts shared via Embedded Signup or partner-initiated creation
Why does the On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model matter?
Ownership decides who can leave. A business that was onboarded under OBO may have discovered, when changing providers, that its WhatsApp account, payment setup and templates sat in someone else's portfolio. Understanding the model helps business owners check that the 2025 transfer actually happened, helps compliance teams record who owns which asset, and helps developers interpret old integrations, for example why a token from the partner's system user once worked on an account the client never shared. It also explains the Marketing Messages API rule that OBO accounts had to be transferred to clients before they could use it.
How does the On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model work?
The partner created the account in its own portfolio
Under OBO the BSP set up the WABA in its business portfolio and nominated the client as the business it operated for. The client approved a request rather than creating anything itself.
The partner owned billing and permissions
The partner's credit line paid for messages and its system users held the admin roles. The client saw its brand on WhatsApp but had limited control in WhatsApp Manager.
Meta closed the door in 2025
After partner-initiated creation launched on 24 March 2025, new OBO onboarding ended on 29 September 2025, and partners had until 1 October 2025 to transfer existing OBO accounts to clients.
Remaining accounts were auto-migrated
Eligible OBO accounts still owned by partners after 1 October 2025 were moved to the client in batches through the end of 2025, so the client portfolio became the owner.
Today: client-owned accounts, shared with partners
Partners onboard through Embedded Signup or partner-initiated creation, where the client accepts a request and owns the result. Since September 2026 the client's WhatsApp account can be shared with several partners at once.
Example: A Kochi travel agency checks who owns its account
A Kochi travel agency was onboarded in 2021 by a marketing agency that set everything up "for them". In 2026 it wants to add a second partner for booking confirmations. Its owner opens Meta Business Suite and finds the WhatsApp account listed under the agency's own portfolio — a sign of a former OBO account. A developer on the new partner's side queries the account's owner_business_info and confirms that ownership was transferred to the agency's portfolio during Meta's 2025 auto-migration. Because the agency now owns the account, it can share it with the new partner through Embedded Signup without asking the old agency for anything; the only clean-up is removing the old agency's credit line and admin users it no longer needs.
Common wrong turns
Common mistakes with the On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model
Assuming your account was transferred
Auto-migration covered eligible accounts only. Check the owner in Meta Business Suite or with owner_business_info rather than assuming; a partner-owned account is a risk to your number.
Confusing OBO with partner-initiated creation
Both start with a partner request, but under partner-initiated creation the client accepts and owns the account. The partner gets permissions and shares its credit line by API.
Leaving the old partner's credit line attached
After a transfer, the old partner's credit line and admin users can linger. Review payment methods and people with access, and remove what you no longer use.
Using a former OBO account with the Marketing Messages API untransferred
Meta requires OBO accounts to be transferred to the client before their Messaging accounts can be used with the Marketing Messages API for WhatsApp (formerly MM Lite).
The On-Behalf-Of (OBO) model in code
curl "https://graph.facebook.com/v26.0/{WABA_ID}?fields=name,owner_business_info,on_behalf_of_business_info" \-H "Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}"
owner_business_info names the portfolio that owns the account; on_behalf_of_business_info appeared on OBO accounts.