Local Gateway Policy

The WaSMS Gateway is a small application you download from your dashboard and run on your own computer or server. It is the bridge between your WhatsApp number and the WaSMS platform. Every WaSMS plan — free and paid — uses this local gateway. It is free to download and run, and there is no monthly gateway fee. When the gateway is running, it links to your WhatsApp account (via the standard WhatsApp "linked devices" QR scan) and securely tunnels messages to and from the WaSMS platform.

The local gateway runs on infrastructure that you own and control — your computer, your VPS, or your server. WaSMS does not host the gateway for you. This means: - You are responsible for keeping the gateway running. If your computer is switched off, asleep, or loses internet, the gateway goes offline and messages will not send or receive until it is back online. - You choose where it runs. For always-on messaging, run it on a server or a machine that stays powered on, rather than a personal laptop. - You install updates when prompted. The gateway may occasionally need to be updated; the dashboard will tell you when.

Because the gateway runs on your own infrastructure, its availability is your responsibility, not WaSMS's. WaSMS's uptime commitments cover the WaSMS platform (dashboard, API, message processing). They do not cover your local gateway. If your gateway is offline, message delivery stops — this is not a WaSMS outage. We recommend running the gateway on a machine or server with a stable internet connection and reliable power, and monitoring its status from the Channels page in your dashboard.

In limited cases, WaSMS may enable a specific account to connect WhatsApp through a WaSMS-hosted gateway instead of a local one. This is granted manually by a WaSMS administrator on a per-user basis and is not part of any plan. The hosted gateway is not available on request as a standard feature. Unless your account has been explicitly approved, you must run your own local gateway. WaSMS may revoke hosted-gateway access at any time, after which the account must switch to a local gateway to continue sending and receiving WhatsApp messages.

The local gateway processes your WhatsApp messages on your own machine and tunnels them to the WaSMS platform over an encrypted connection. Your WhatsApp session credentials are stored locally by the gateway on the machine where it runs. Keep that machine secure — anyone with access to it may be able to access your linked WhatsApp session. If you move the gateway to a different computer, use the "Reset gateway" option in your dashboard to unlink the old machine. Your WhatsApp accounts and message history in WaSMS are preserved; you re-scan the QR code on the new machine.

Use of the gateway is subject to the WaSMS Terms of Service and to WhatsApp's own policies. You must not use the gateway to send spam or unsolicited messages, and you must obtain valid consent from your contacts before messaging them. WhatsApp may rate-limit, restrict, or ban numbers that violate its policies. Because the gateway connects your own WhatsApp number, any such action by WhatsApp affects your number directly. WaSMS is not responsible for WhatsApp account restrictions resulting from how you use your number.