In short: Buy the Maia add-on, then in Maia settings buy a number for WhatsApp and Voice, or bring your own for WhatsApp only.
WhatsApp and Voice put Maia on the channels people actually live in. One number covers both, and she handles messages and answers calls as the same Maia, with the same context about your brand and your work.
The number itself no longer carries a fee. WhatsApp sits behind the Maia add-on along with email and Slack, so once you have the add-on the channel is yours and the only decision left is which number Maia uses. A dedicated number bought through Protaigé gives you WhatsApp and Voice. Bringing your own existing number gives you WhatsApp only, with no call handling.
Get the add-on first
WhatsApp is one of the channels the Maia add-on turns on, so nothing in the WhatsApp section does anything until you have it. If you do not, the top of Maia settings offers it instead of the channels. It is one purchase per brand covering email, Slack and WhatsApp together, and any plan can buy it, including Free.
Choose how you get the number
In Maia settings, scroll to WhatsApp. There are two sub-tabs. Buy a Number gets you a clean work number with Voice included, which is the one to take if you want callers to reach her or you would rather not mix her into your personal WhatsApp. My Number connects the account you already have, verified by a code, but Voice stays unavailable on that route.
Buy a dedicated number
Pick the country, search what is available, and choose one. There is no separate activation charge any more, because the add-on you already bought covers it. WhatsApp connects automatically and Voice becomes available just below.
Or bring the number you already use
On My Number, choose the country and enter your existing WhatsApp number. Protaigé sends a six-digit code to it over WhatsApp to check the number is yours. Entering the code is the whole of activation now. If you later decide you want calls too, release this connection and buy a dedicated number instead.
Turn on Voice
Voice needs the add-on and a Campaign Pro plan or above, and it reuses the WhatsApp number rather than provisioning a second one. With a dedicated number in place, find the Voice section and turn it on. Callers dialling that number now reach Maia. She picks up live, which is worth understanding properly, since it is not a voicemail box or a menu of options. She answers, works out who is calling and what they need, takes the brief and follows up. Voice minutes are metered separately from messages.
Switching off, in two layers
Turn off WhatsApp and she stops handling messages and calls, but the number stays yours and can be switched back on. Release the number and it is gone for good, so only do that when you are certain. Voice toggles independently, so you can have her on WhatsApp without her answering the phone.
On WhatsApp she replies in thread and can also message first, so she can reach your clients rather than asking you to copy and paste. The messages draw on the add-on's bundle, which is shared with email and Slack rather than being WhatsApp's own, and both sent and received count against it. The card at the top of Maia settings shows what you have used and what a message costs past the bundle.
Last updated 1 September 2026
