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Setting up PingWren in GoHighLevel

About ten minutes, start to finish. Pick the guide that matches your account, and by the end the workflows you already have will be sending on WhatsApp.

Handing the scan to a client? Send them the two-page how-to-connect sheet.

Before you start

  • A GoHighLevel account with at least one sub-account.
  • A PingWren account. The free trial is fine.
  • The phone with the WhatsApp number you'll send from. You need it in your hand for the scan.
  • A second phone to receive the test message.
Sample screen: the connect page you'll see in step 4, before and after the scan.
Agency ownerSingle sub-account

Agency owner

  1. 1.Install PingWren

    Add PingWren to your GoHighLevel account. This is a one-off.

    • Open the PingWren install link, or find PingWren in the Marketplace.
    • Install it at agency level, then choose the sub-accounts that should get it.
    • Steps 2 to 6 are per sub-account, so you repeat them for each sub-account you activate.
    Diagram: the install link or the Marketplace, then approving the permissions, adds PingWren to your GoHighLevel accountInstall linkor MarketplaceApprovePermissions screenYour accountPingWren added
    Schematic, not a screenshot.

  2. 2.Open the PingWren page

    The PingWren page lives in the left menu of the sub-account.

    • Switch into a sub-account (Sub-Account view) and choose PingWren in the left menu.
    • The page does not work from Agency view, because there is no active sub-account to connect.
    • If the page says "WhatsApp isn't active for this sub-account", activate it from your dashboard, or ask your account owner to.
    Diagram: in the left menu of a sub-account, the highlighted PingWren item opens the PingWren page with your WhatsApp status and QR codeContactsConversationsPingWrenSettingsPingWren pageStatus and QR code
    Schematic, not a screenshot.

  3. 3.Set the Telephony Provider

    This is the step people miss. It tells GoHighLevel to send its text messages through PingWren.

    • In the sub-account, go to Settings → Phone System → Advanced Settings → Telephony Provider → PingWren → Save.
    • Do this in every sub-account you connect. Until it is set, a connected number will not send anything.
    • Some accounts label this Settings → Phone Numbers → Advanced Settings → SMS Provider. It is the same setting.
    Diagram: go to Settings, then Phone System, then Advanced Settings. Under Telephony Provider, pick PingWren from the dropdown and click SaveSettingsPhone SystemAdvanced SettingsTelephony ProviderPingWrenSave
    Schematic, not a screenshot.

  4. 4.Scan the QR code

    Link the WhatsApp number the same way you would link WhatsApp Web.

    • On the PingWren page, click Connect WhatsApp. A QR code appears.
    • If the page says "WhatsApp isn't active for this sub-account", activate it from your dashboard, or ask your account owner to.
    • On your phone: WhatsApp → Settings → Linked devices → Link a device, then scan this code.
    • Only scan the code yourself, on your own business phone. Whoever scans it can read and send messages as your business, so treat it like a password.
    • If the phone belongs to your client, they need to be the one holding it when you scan.
    Diagram: the connect page shows a QR code. On your phone, WhatsApp's Link a device screen scans it to link the numberConnectpageQR codeScanYour phoneLink a device
    Schematic, not a screenshot.

  5. 5.Check it says Connected

    The status at the top of the page changes once the scan works.

    • The page shows Connected. If it still says Waiting for QR scan, click Get a new QR code and scan the new one.
    Diagram: the WhatsApp card on the connect page, with a green Connected status in its top corner and your linked number underneathWhatsAppYour linked numberConnected
    Schematic, not a screenshot.

  6. 6.Send a test message

    Use a workflow you already have, or a quick new one.

    • Create a contact whose phone number is your own mobile. Use a different phone from the one you just linked.
    • Run a workflow with a Send SMS step on that contact.
    • Sending is paced, so give the first message a minute or two. It arrives on WhatsApp, and GoHighLevel marks it delivered.
    Diagram: a workflow with a Send SMS step hands the message to PingWren, which sends it to your own mobile on WhatsAppWorkflowSend SMS stepPingWrenSends on WhatsAppYour mobileTest message
    Schematic, not a screenshot.

  7. 7.Reply and see it in Conversations

    Replies come back into the same GoHighLevel conversation.

    • Reply from that WhatsApp chat. The reply shows up in the contact's thread under Conversations.
    Diagram: your reply on WhatsApp goes through PingWren and appears in the contact's thread in ConversationsYour mobileReply on WhatsAppPingWrenPasses it onConversationsReply appears
    Schematic, not a screenshot.

Troubleshooting

It says Connected but nothing sends

Check the Telephony Provider first: Settings → Phone System → Advanced Settings → Telephony Provider → PingWren → Save. If another provider is selected, GoHighLevel is still sending through that one.

Some accounts label this Settings → Phone Numbers → Advanced Settings → SMS Provider. It is the same setting.

Then check that the contact has a phone number and that the workflow step is Send SMS.

The QR code expired

Codes only last a short while. On the PingWren page, click Get a new QR code and scan the new one straight away.

Messages are waiting and not going out

The phone has disconnected, usually because it is offline or WhatsApp was logged out on it. Messages for that number are held for up to 24 hours.

Open the PingWren page. If it says Disconnected, click Reconnect (scan the QR again if one appears) and the held messages go out. Anything older than 24 hours is reported to GoHighLevel as not sent.

Messages over the number's daily cap are different. They are reported to GoHighLevel as not sent, and the number starts again at midnight UTC.

My agency blocks the install

Some white-labelled agencies switch off app installs. If that is you, ask your agency to allow PingWren for your sub-account. You can send them this: "Please allow PingWren as an app on my sub-account so I can install it."

If the install works but the PingWren page shows blank inside a white-labelled account, get in touch and tell us your agency's white-label address. We may need to allow it.

WhatsApp says the number has too many linked devices

WhatsApp caps how many devices one number can have linked. On the phone, go to WhatsApp → Settings → Linked devices, open one you no longer use and log it out. Then connect again.

Once you are sending

  • Each number has a daily cap, and messages go out at a steady pace rather than all at once.
  • If someone replies STOP, that sub-account's WhatsApp numbers stop messaging them until they reply START. Other sub-accounts are not affected.
  • The phone needs to stay switched on and online.

More answers are in the FAQ.