Connect Meta Ads to WhatsApp conversions in Timi

Your media buyer asks for Purchase events in Ads Manager. You export WhatsApp leads to a spreadsheet every Friday, upload them manually, and still cannot tell which ad set produced the M-Pesa payment that landed Tuesday. OAuth connection in Timi fixes that in one sitting — no token copying, no weekly CSV ritual. Once connected, QualifiedLead, InitiateCheckout, and Purchase flow from WhatsApp chats to Meta automatically. Review ROAS and cost per qualified lead on your Ads dashboard each week.

This guide covers only the Timi Settings setup. For how Click-to-WhatsApp attribution works, see how CTWA tracking works. For reading results in Ads Manager, see track WhatsApp leads in Ads Manager.

Conversions API events are separate from customer-list audiences. Read Meta Custom Audiences from WhatsApp in Kenya for Audience Autopilot — automatic sync of four customer-list audiences for paid plans.

Before you start

Confirm you have:

• A Timi account with WhatsApp Business already connected in Settings
• A Meta ad account with at least one pixel (dataset) attached
• Facebook login access to the Business Manager that owns that pixel
• Click-to-WhatsApp ads using WhatsApp as the destination — not a website URL or organic chat link

If you have not connected WhatsApp in Timi yet, finish WhatsApp Business setup first. Conversion tracking depends on live chats on your connected number.

What OAuth connection actually does

When you click Connect Meta Ads, Timi requests permission to send Conversions API (CAPI) events to the pixel you select. Timi stores the connection securely — you do not paste long-lived tokens unless you use Advanced settings for edge cases.

After a successful connect, Timi sends Conversions API events for Click-to-WhatsApp ad chats when milestones happen in chat (organic bio and Status traffic is handled in Feed — not reported to Meta for ad optimisation):

• Engaged ad chat (beyond a bare "Hi"): Lead submitted (LeadSubmitted)
• Qualified buyer (clear product or price interest): Qualified lead (QualifiedLead)
• Seller handoff (ready to pay): Checkout started (InitiateCheckout)
• M-Pesa confirmed or mark sold: Purchase (Purchase)

Meta uses these signals to optimise delivery toward buyers who pay — not just people who opened WhatsApp. Ads Manager may show custom names if your media buyer renamed events in Settings. For when Purchase fires in practice see when Timi sends Purchase. For bare Hi openers see qualified vs thin Hi.

Connect Meta Ads in Timi — step by step

1. Open Settings → Ad conversion tracking.
2. Click Connect Meta Ads.
3. Sign in with the Facebook account that manages your ads and Business Manager.
4. If Meta prompts you to pick a Business Manager or pixel, choose the one tied to your WhatsApp campaigns — not an old website pixel from a side project.
5. Review permissions and confirm.
6. Turn on Send conversion events to Meta.

Timi enables conversion tracking automatically after a successful connect. Your pixel ID and access token are stored server-side. Most sellers never need the Advanced manual token fields.

Verify the connection with a test event

Do not scale ad spend until Events Manager shows traffic:

1. In Timi Settings → Ad conversion tracking, click Send test event.
2. Open Meta Events Manager → your dataset → Test events tab.
3. Confirm a test event arrives within a minute or two.

If nothing appears:

• Refresh Events Manager and check you opened the same pixel you selected in Timi
• Confirm Send conversion events to Meta is toggled on
• Disconnect and reconnect if you picked the wrong Business Manager during OAuth

When a real buyer messages from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, Timi sends Lead submitted once the chat shows real interest. When you confirm M-Pesa in chat or mark sold in Feed, Timi sends Purchase — see Purchase triggers.

Map events (optional)

Default mapping works for most Kenyan SMEs:

• Engaged ad chat → Lead submitted
• Qualified buyer → Qualified lead
• Payment link or handoff → Checkout started
• Paid sale → Purchase

You can rename events in Settings if your media buyer uses custom conversion names in Ads Manager. Keep names consistent across Timi and the columns your buyer filters on every Friday.

Disconnect and reconnect safely

If events land on the wrong pixel:

1. In Timi Settings, disconnect Meta Ads.
2. Reconnect and carefully select the correct Business Manager and dataset.
3. Send another test event before resuming spend.

Wrong-pixel data pollutes optimisation for weeks. Fix the connection before increasing budget, not after.

Troubleshooting

Events not showing in Events Manager

• Confirm Connect Meta Ads succeeded (green status in Timi)
• Tracking toggle is on
• Buyer came from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad — paid chats show attribution labels in Timi Feed
• You are looking at the correct pixel in Events Manager

Purchase events missing but Lead submitted events arrive

• Buyer may not have paid yet — Purchase fires on M-Pesa confirmation or mark sold
• Check that your team marks sold consistently for cash and till payments — see when Timi sends Purchase

Wrong pixel receiving events

• Disconnect and reconnect, selecting the correct Business Manager and dataset

Organic chats

• Timi does not report organic WhatsApp chats to Meta for ad optimisation — only Click-to-WhatsApp ad chats carry the referral data CAPI needs
• Nurture organic bio and Status traffic in Feed and CRM; use CTWA when you want Meta to optimise spend toward paying buyers

Common mistakes during setup

• Connecting Meta Ads before WhatsApp Business is linked in Timi
• Selecting a website pixel unused by WhatsApp campaigns
• Turning on tracking but running ads to a wa.me link instead of Click-to-WhatsApp
• Skipping the test event and discovering broken CAPI after KES 20,000 in spend
• Expecting spreadsheet uploads and OAuth tracking to both be the source of truth — pick live CAPI

For the full ads funnel — campaign structure, creative, and weekly review — see the WhatsApp ads pillar guide.

FAQ

Do I paste a pixel ID manually? Usually no. OAuth handles pixel selection. Advanced settings exist for agencies with non-standard setups.

Does this work for Instagram-only ads? Yes, if the ad destination is Click-to-WhatsApp to your business number.

Will organic Instagram bio traffic send Purchase events? Timi reports conversion events for Click-to-WhatsApp ad chats — that is what Meta uses to optimise paid campaigns. Organic bio and Status traffic is handled in Feed and CRM; nurture those chats there rather than expecting ad-style attribution.

How long does setup take? About 5 minutes if you have Business Manager access ready.

Can my media buyer connect instead of me? Yes, as long as they use an account with access to your Timi shop and the correct pixel.