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.
Agency owner
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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot.
Single sub-account
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 on your one sub-account and approve the permissions it asks for.
- If the install is blocked, your agency has switched off app installs. See "My agency blocks the install" below.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 2.Open the PingWren page
The PingWren page lives in the left menu of the sub-account.
- In your sub-account, choose PingWren in the left menu.
- If it offers "Start your 7-day free trial", follow that first. The sub-account is installed but not yet on an account.
- If the page says "WhatsApp isn't active for this sub-account", activate it from your dashboard, or ask your account owner to.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 3.Set the Telephony Provider
This is the step people miss. It tells GoHighLevel to send its text messages through PingWren.
- In your sub-account, go to Settings → Phone System → Advanced Settings → Telephony Provider → PingWren → Save.
- 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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 it offers "Start your 7-day free trial", follow that first. The sub-account is installed but not yet on an account.
- 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.
- Use a dedicated business number if you can, and keep the phone switched on and online.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
Schematic, not a screenshot. 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.
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.