Channel-linked access links your personal WhatsApp or Telegram (yours, as an employee) to your Platform account. Once linked and with a session open, you can write directly to the business’s connected number/bot and the system recognizes you as yourself — with your real role —, instead of treating you as just another customer writing on that channel.
It’s a mechanism designed for operating on the go, from your phone, without opening the web Platform: think of an operator who needs to check something or act quickly while away from the office. It doesn’t replace the web Platform (Manual 15 and following) — it’s an additional, more limited access, from a chat.
Note — Don’t confuse it with “API keys”
This mechanism links a person to a chat channel, with two-factor verification. It’s different from API keys (Manual 50), which authenticate automated integrations against the REST API with an
X-API-Keyheader. They share neither the purpose nor the mechanism.