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Question

{{wa_id}} variable is not saving the username when the WhatsApp ID is not a phone number

  • August 13, 2026
  • 1 comment
  • 14 views

Heric
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Hi everyone!

I have an active automation in Manychat where I use the WhatsApp ID ({{wa_id}}) as a variable to trigger other actions.

I’ve noticed that, with the recent WhatsApp changes, some contacts are now coming through with their username/profile name instead of their phone number.

When the wa_id contains a phone number, the variable is saved correctly. However, when it contains a username, the value is not saved properly. In that case, the variable is saved literally as:

{{wa_id}}

instead of storing the actual username received.

This is affecting some of my automations because they rely on this value to work correctly.

I’d like to know if this is a current Manychat limitation or bug that needs to be fixed, or if, due to these WhatsApp changes, I should be using a different variable or adjusting my automation in some way.

Has anyone else experienced this issue?

1 reply

cata_rendon
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  • Community Moderator
  • August 15, 2026

Hi ​@Heric great question. To be honest probably you should contact Manychat Support for this one. On the other hand I can say is better to buy a new whatsapp phone on manychat and use that, than coexistence. You avoid all those issues.

Here how you can get support:  https://help.manychat.com/hc/en-us/p/get_support_page

How to Connet a new number purchased from Manychat: https://help.manychat.com/hc/es/articles/16816162800668-C%C3%B3mo-vincular-un-n%C3%BAmero-comprado-en-Manychat-con-WhatsApp

 

Hope this helps!

Cata