Connect Bubble and WhatsApp

In short

Connecting Bubble to the WhatsApp Business API sends customers an update whenever an order changes status in your app. SBD built a gated order portal on Bubble for a wholesale jeweller, with WhatsApp and email updates to approved retailers. Orders processed 30% faster and inbound enquiries halved.

The workflows

What runs between Bubble and WhatsApp Business API.

Each line is one automated workflow. It shows the event in one tool, the checks and mapping in between, the action in the other tool and who is notified.

1. Order status updates

   When

   An order is placed or changes stage

   Automation

   • Verify and validate
   • Map and normalise
   • Upsert by key

   Then

   Send the approved template to the retailer

   And

   • Audit log entry
   • Alert if it fails or goes quiet
   • Review queue if unsure

2. Dispatch notifications

   When

   A message status webhook arrives

   Automation

   • Verify and validate
   • Map and normalise
   • Upsert by key

   Then

   Record delivered, read or failed against the order

   And

   • Audit log entry
   • Alert if it fails or goes quiet
   • Review queue if unsure

3. Retailer approval messages

   When

   A message fails

   Automation

   • Verify and validate
   • Map and normalise
   • Upsert by key

   Then

   Fall back to email and flag it for staff

   And

   • Audit log entry
   • Alert if it fails or goes quiet
   • Review queue if unsure

4. Gated client portals

   When

   A retailer signs up

   Automation

   • Verify and validate
   • Map and normalise
   • Upsert by key

   Then

   Hold access until staff approve the account

   And

   • Audit log entry
   • Alert if it fails or goes quiet
   • Review queue if unsure

Every record passes through the same stages

1. 1Receive

   Webhook or polling from the source tool, with a signed payload and a replay log.

2. 2Validate

   We check required fields, types and the record key. Anything that fails goes to the review queue.

3. 3Map

   Fields are mapped to the destination schema, with dropdown values, currencies and dates normalised.

4. 4Upsert

   Each write is matched on the record key, so a retry updates the existing record.

5. 5Confirm

   The outcome is logged, an alert fires if the count stops moving, and a reconciliation runs each night.

Read this first

Where the simple setup breaks down.

A one-step Zap connects Bubble and WhatsApp Business API in an afternoon. This is what tends to go wrong once volume grows and edge cases appear.

• You cannot send any message at any time

  Outside the customer service window, WhatsApp needs a pre-approved template. If the app sends free text, business-initiated updates fail, so templates must be planned and approved before launch.

• Calls from the page expose the token

  If the WhatsApp token is used in a client-side call, it can be seen in the browser. Sends belong in a backend workflow, using private API Connector settings.

• Sent is not delivered

  The API accepting a message does not mean the customer got it. Without status webhooks, staff cannot tell who received an update, and a wrong number looks like a success.

• A status edit can message customers repeatedly

  If a workflow fires whenever a status field changes, a correction or bulk edit can send a burst of messages. Sends need a record of what has already gone out.

What we wire up

The data flows.

1. 01
   When

   An order is placed or changes stage

   Then

   Send the approved template to the retailer

2. 02
   When

   A message status webhook arrives

   Then

   Record delivered, read or failed against the order

3. 03
   When

   A message fails

   Then

   Fall back to email and flag it for staff

4. 04
   When

   A retailer signs up

   Then

   Hold access until staff approve the account

In every build

What every integration build includes.

Security and your data

Where the data goes, and who holds the keys.

Accounts

Every platform account is created in your name. We work through managed access you can revoke.

Credentials

Stored encrypted in the orchestration layer, scoped per connection and rotated at handover.

Data in transit

All traffic uses TLS, and webhooks are checked by signature before anything is processed.

Data at rest

We store only what the sync needs and keep no copies of your customer data on our machines.

AI steps

Where an integration uses a model, it is through a business API that does not train on your data.

Retention

Run logs are kept 90 days by default, which you can change. Card and ID numbers are redacted from payloads.

Agreements

DPA and NDA on request. Regional rules covered in our privacy policy.

Keys and sensitive data

How API keys, tokens and personal data are handled.

• Keys are kept in a vault

  API keys and tokens are stored in the orchestration layer's encrypted credential store or the platform's secret manager. None are written into workflows, repos, spreadsheets or chat.

• One credential per connection

  Each integration gets its own key, scoped to the objects and actions it needs. A lead sync cannot read invoices. Revoking one key stops one thing.

• Service accounts for connections

  Connections use a dedicated service user in your account, so nothing breaks when a person leaves and nothing runs under someone's name.

• Two-factor on every account

  Each platform account we set up has two-factor authentication on, and the recovery codes are handed to you.

• Rotation on handover and on request

  Keys are rotated when the build is handed over, when anyone with access leaves, and at any time you ask.

• Secrets are redacted from logs

  Audit logs redact tokens, card numbers, government IDs and anything you flag as sensitive before a line is written.

• Webhooks verified before processing

  Inbound calls are checked against the sending tool's signature. Unsigned or stale payloads are dropped and counted.

• Access you can see and revoke

  Our access is through managed roles in your accounts. You can see it, limit it or remove it without touching the build.

Engineering decisions

Decisions we make before writing the first workflow.

• Rate limits and backoff

  Each API has a ceiling, so calls are batched, queued and retried with increasing delays during busy periods.

• Backfill and pagination

  The first run loads history as well as new events. Backfills page through the source in order and resume after an interruption without writing a record twice.

• Out-of-order and duplicate events

  Webhooks can arrive twice or out of sequence. Each event carries a version or timestamp, so an older version cannot overwrite a newer one.

• Schema changes

  A renamed field or a new dropdown value is a common cause of silent failure. Payloads are checked against a contract, and a mismatch stops the run and raises a flag.

• Time zones, currencies, units

  Dates are stored in UTC and shown in local time. Amounts carry their currency and quantities their unit, and conversions happen once, in the map step.

• Sandbox first

  Builds run against sandbox or test accounts with seeded data first. Going live means switching credentials.

• Versioned and reversible

  Workflows and code are version-controlled. A release can be rolled back in minutes without losing the records processed since.

• API deprecations watched

  Tools retire API versions on a schedule. We track the dates for every connection in the runbook and upgrade before the cut-off.

• Cost per run known

  Each run logs its cost, including any model calls, so you can see spend as it builds up.

• Run metrics

  We chart runs per hour, records in and out, exception rate and latency, which often shows a problem before an alert fires.

Proof

Where we have done this.

• Customer story

  Retailer catalogue and order portal

  A gated portal for a wholesale jeweller on Bubble with WhatsApp and email updates. Orders 30% faster and enquiries halved.

  Read the story →

Questions

What people ask about this pair.

Related

• +

  WhatsApp Business API and Zoho Books

  The invoice is raised in Books, where the accountant expects it, and everyone who moves the order hears about it on WhatsApp.

• +

  WhatsApp and Airtable

  Reach customers where they reply, with the conversation logged against the record.

• +

  Tally and WhatsApp Business API

  Overdue invoices from TallyPrime, chased on WhatsApp at the frequency each customer warrants.

• Solution

  Distribution and logistics

  The workflows we automate for this kind of team.