Channels
A channel is the connection a message physically goes out over. Akedly can send on its own connections, or on yours — and for some things, only yours will do.
Managed Vodafone integrations differ
BYO SMS here describes an integration you build and own. If Akedly operates a managed Vodafone integration for your account, several of the capabilities described below are fixed by Akedly and are not yours to set — see Managed Vodafone.
Channels are not a third product. Both Authentication and Utilities send through them, which is why they are configured once for the account rather than per product.
The two you can bring
Your WhatsApp Business Account
Connect your own WABA through Meta's Embedded Signup. OTPs then go out from your brand number instead of Akedly's shared one — and utility messages become possible at all.
Your own SMS provider (BYO SMS)
Describe your provider's HTTP API once, and Akedly sends through your account and your credits. Required for utility SMS; optional for OTP SMS.
What each one unlocks
The same connection means different things to each product. For Authentication it is an upgrade; for Utilities it is the price of entry.
| Channel | Authentication (OTP) | Utilities |
|---|---|---|
| Works out of the box on Akedly's shared number. Your own WABA sends from your brand and reaches nine destinations the shared number cannot. | Required. With no active WABA connected, WhatsApp is never a feasible channel — there is no shared-number fallback. | |
| SMS | Works out of the box on Akedly's senders. Your own provider replaces them per country, per pipeline. | Required. Utility SMS dispatches only through your own integration; Akedly operates no SMS route for it. |
| Telegram, Email | Akedly-operated. Nothing to connect — order them in the pipeline's verification methods. | Not available. Utilities send on WhatsApp and SMS only. |
Utilities does not work until you connect at least one
An approved template and a configured pipeline are not enough. Without a WABA you cannot send on WhatsApp, and without a BYO SMS integration no number is reachable over SMS — not even a local one. Connect a channel first: Utilities → Get set up.
Where they live in the dashboard
Both sit under the Channels scope in the dashboard sidebar, under Setup.
View in dashboardChannels → Setup → WhatsApp SetupConnect your WhatsApp Business Account and watch its setup checklist.
View in dashboardChannels → Setup → BYO SMS SetupAdd your SMS provider's API, set its country coverage, and test it. On a managed Vodafone integration most of that is fixed for you: the provider, its request chain, its Egypt-only coverage and its strict failure behaviour are Akedly's. You still create the integration once Akedly has provisioned your account, and you own its name and description, your Vodafone credentials, the approved sender name and the IP-whitelist acknowledgement.
The same scope holds Monitoring → Meta Events, where the WhatsApp events Meta sends back — delivery reports, template status changes — are visible.