WhatsApp has its own proxy setting. Meta added it on January 5, 2023, so people could keep using WhatsApp when their connection is blocked or disrupted, through servers that volunteers and organizations run. The field takes the address of a host that relays WhatsApp's own traffic. Meta's FAQ for its proxy software says WhatsApp supports nothing besides TCP proxying, so an HTTP or SOCKS proxy you buy cannot go there. A proxy changes the address WhatsApp sees. Restrictions and bans rest on what an account does: spam, bulk or automated messages, unofficial apps and scraping.
What people mean by a WhatsApp proxy
Google counts 22,200 searches a month for "whatsapp proxy" worldwide, by Keyword Planner on October 13, 2026, and as many for "proxies for whatsapp". People also look up the proxy code, 5,400 times a month, and the proxy host, 1,900 times. Searches about bans come close behind: "whatsapp banned" has 12,100 a month and "whatsapp account banned" 4,400. A Meta setting, page or rule settles each of them.
What people want from a WhatsApp proxy, and what decides it
| What people search | What decides it | Does a proxy change it? |
|---|---|---|
| whatsapp proxy (22,200), proxy host (1,900) | a host that runs a WhatsApp proxy, set in the app | yes, a host built for it |
| whatsapp proxy code (5,400) | the address or link someone shares | only a WhatsApp proxy host |
| free whatsapp proxy (170) | volunteer hosts shared during blocks | see our free WhatsApp proxy page |
| whatsapp banned (12,100), account banned (4,400) | spam, bulk messages, unofficial apps, scraping | no |
| whatsapp multiple accounts (4,400) | two accounts per phone, a number each | no |
| whatsapp business api (60,500) | Meta's Business Messaging Policy | no |
Google Keyword Planner, worldwide, October 13, 2026; WhatsApp's help articles, terms and policies, and Meta's FAQ on GitHub, read October 13, 2026
WhatsApp's own proxy setting
Meta's announcement of January 5, 2023, launched proxy support "for WhatsApp users all over the world". It connects you through servers "set up by volunteers and organizations around the world", and Meta named the shutdowns in Iran that had lasted for months. On privacy, it says: "Your personal messages will still be protected by end-to-end encryption".
Meta's current help article covers a network that is not working. It lists four fixes: update the app, try another network, try a VPN, or use a proxy server. It also notes that "Some mobile carriers and internet providers may block access to particular apps". Meta's sites answer our server with an error, so we read the article in an Internet Archive copy of June 9, 2026.
In the app, the setting sits under Settings, Storage and Data, Proxy, then Set up Proxy. You enter a proxy host, such as an IP address. You may also set a chat port and a media port: text goes over the chat port, and images, videos and voice notes over the media port. A status message shows whether the link works. Calls stay out: "Calling is not supported while using a proxy server", in Meta's words.
Someone already connected can share the proxy as a link, so others join with one tap. When messages stop, Meta says the proxy may have been blocked: hold its address, delete it and enter a new one. Meta also warns that a third-party proxy "shares your IP address with the proxy provider". Our page on free WhatsApp proxies covers where volunteers share hosts and why they stop working.
What fits in WhatsApp's proxy field
Meta's FAQ for its proxy server is blunt: WhatsApp supports nothing "besides TCP proxying". The relay copies bytes to WhatsApp, and Meta does not support "any intermediary that is a HTTP proxy". Any plain TCP relay works, as long as it forwards to g.whatsapp.net. When you enter only a host, the app connects to port 443 and expects TLS there. The other ports expect none.
That rules out HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies, ours included: neither has a place in this field. Some sellers' guides say the field takes HTTP or SOCKS5 proxies. Meta's FAQ says otherwise. People also type 1.1.1.1 into it. Cloudflare's documentation calls that address its public DNS resolver: it turns domain names into IP addresses, a different job from relaying WhatsApp.
- A WhatsApp proxy hostMeta's open-source relay, or one like it
- Any plain TCP relayif it forwards to g.whatsapp.net
- An HTTP proxynot supported, says Meta's FAQ
- A SOCKS proxynot supported, TCP proxying only
- 1.1.1.1Cloudflare's DNS resolver
Running a WhatsApp proxy for others
Meta publishes the server side as open source on GitHub. Its README puts the purpose plainly: "If you are unable to connect directly to WhatsApp, a proxy can be used as a gateway between you and our servers." The help article asks for a server with port 80, 443 or 5222, and a domain name that points to the server's IP address.
The software runs HAProxy in TCP mode. It forwards the chat ports to g.whatsapp.net and the media ports to whatsapp.net. Meta ships it as a Docker image, facebook/whatsapp_proxy. Ports 443 and 8443 use a self-signed certificate made when the container starts, and port 8199 shows statistics to the operator.
- Your phoneWhatsApp, chat and media ports set
- Proxy hosta TCP relay; sees your IP address
- WhatsApp serversg.whatsapp.net and whatsapp.net
The ports of Meta's WhatsApp proxy
| Port | What it carries | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 443 | WhatsApp traffic over TLS | the app's default when only a host is set |
| 80 | WhatsApp traffic, no TLS | one of the three primary ports |
| 5222 | Jabber protocol traffic, WhatsApp's default | one of the three primary ports |
| 587 or 7777 | whatsapp.net traffic, media included | with 443, enough on a hostile network |
| 8080, 8443, 8222 | the same, behind a load balancer | only with the PROXY protocol |
| 8199 | HAProxy statistics | for the operator |
github.com/WhatsApp/proxy, README and FAQ.md, read October 13, 2026
On a hostile network, Meta suggests exposing only ports 443 and 587, because "a proxy instance may be uniquely identified by some of the non-standard ports". Its FAQ points operators who want to share a proxy to a dedicated issue on GitHub. The repository dates from October 19, 2022, and was last updated on August 20, 2026. It carries an MIT license and had 2,374 stars on October 13, 2026. We read its documents and its configuration, and we did not run it.
Two numbers on one phone
WhatsApp has an official answer for a second number. Since October 19, 2023, it can keep two accounts logged in on one phone. Each needs its own number, with a second SIM, a multi-SIM phone or an eSIM. You add it from Settings, through the arrow next to your name, then Add account. Meta's post asks people to stick to the official app and to download no imitations as a way of getting more accounts.
Beyond that, the terms are plain. They forbid creating accounts "through unauthorized or automated means" and any "non-personal use of our Services unless otherwise authorized by us". This page does not cover running numbers at volume, and a proxy changes none of these rules.
Business messaging
Businesses on WhatsApp use the WhatsApp Business App or the Business Platform, under the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy. We read the policy in an archive copy of April 30, 2026. Its core rules:
- Opt-in first. A business may only contact people who gave it their number and agreed to receive its messages.
- Templates to start. A conversation can only begin with an approved Message Template.
- The 24-hour window. A business may reply freely within 24 hours of the person's last message. It may automate those replies if a human can still step in.
- Quality counts. When people block or report a business for long enough, Meta's systems limit how many messages it can send.
A proxy plays no part in any of these rules.
Restrictions and bans
WhatsApp's terms forbid "bulk messaging, auto-messaging, auto-dialing, and the like". Meta's help pages describe three kinds of action against an account, and the chart sums them up.
| Cause, in Meta's help | How it ends | |
|---|---|---|
| Restriction | signs of spam, automated or bulk messaging | by itself, after a set time |
| Temporary ban | an unofficial app, or scraping | switch to the official app, or it can become permanent |
| Ban | spam, scams or risk to users' safety | Request a review in the app |
A restricted account can still talk to contacts it already knows. It cannot start chats or calls with new ones, create groups or add members. Meta defines scraping as "the automated extraction of information". Its examples of unofficial apps include GB WhatsApp, FM WhatsApp and TM WhatsApp. While a ban lasts, you cannot reach your chats or backups. Meta reviews one phone number per appeal and says that only WhatsApp can unban an account.
None of these help pages names a proxy, a VPN or an IP address as a cause. After a suspension, the terms add, you agree "not to create another account without our permission".
The one place the terms mention proxying
The WhatsApp terms, in force since January 4, 2021, mention proxying once, in their export-control clause. Users must follow export control and trade sanctions laws, and may "not use or download our Services if you are located in a restricted country or territory". The same sentence ends: "and you will not disguise your location through IP proxying or other methods." Meta's help also asks people who use a VPN to know the laws and regulations of their country.
Where HProxy fits
Nothing HProxy sells goes into WhatsApp's proxy field. Our proxies speak HTTP, HTTPS and SOCKS5, and Meta's FAQ says the field takes relays to WhatsApp only. To run a WhatsApp proxy for a school, a newsroom or family abroad, Meta's README is the guide, and the cost is a server. For other work, HProxy sells residential proxies from $0.44 per GB. Premium, at $1.00 per GB, targets cities and internet providers and keeps one address for up to 24 hours. Mobile proxies cost $1.50 per GB, and our explainer on what a mobile proxy is covers carrier addresses. ISP proxies can hold one static address, and datacenter proxies cost $1.58 per IP a month. Test any proxy first with our proxy checker, and read whether free proxies are safe before you use one.
What we could not find out
Meta's WhatsApp, help-center, business and developer sites answered our server with an HTTP 400 error on October 13, 2026. GitHub and Cloudflare's documentation answered normally. Every Meta page here except GitHub therefore comes from an Internet Archive copy, dated where it is used. The help center keeps its articles as data inside the page, which we decoded with our own script.
Meta documents a VPN and its own proxy as fixes. It says nothing we could find about routing WhatsApp through a proxy app that covers the whole phone, or about a proxy setting in WhatsApp Web. Meta names the causes of restrictions and bans, and no thresholds. We read the terms that apply outside Europe; the European version waits for a later check. We used no proxy and ran no proxy server for this page. Meta moved its proxy article to a new address in 2026, so we will check this page again by January 13, 2027.
Sources
We read each source below on October 13, 2026, from our server in the United States.
- WhatsApp Blog, "Connecting to WhatsApp by Proxy", January 5, 2023, Internet Archive copy of March 13, 2026.
- WhatsApp Help Center, "About connecting to WhatsApp when your network isn't working", Internet Archive copy of June 9, 2026.
- Meta, the WhatsApp proxy repository on GitHub: README, FAQ.md, the proxy configuration and the repository record.
- WhatsApp, Terms of Service, effective January 4, 2021, Internet Archive copy of October 10, 2026.
- WhatsApp Help Center, "About restricted accounts" (copy of October 4, 2026), "About temporarily banned accounts" (copy of September 5, 2026), "About unofficial apps" (copy of August 10, 2026) and "About account bans" (copy of December 13, 2025).
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, Internet Archive copy of April 30, 2026.
- WhatsApp Blog, "Multiple Accounts Coming to WhatsApp", October 19, 2023, Internet Archive copy of December 24, 2024.
- Cloudflare, 1.1.1.1 (DNS Resolver) documentation.
- Google Keyword Planner, worldwide search volumes, and Google Autocomplete, October 13, 2026.
More on this: free WhatsApp proxies and how to check if a proxy is working.
