# Verify API: Quick Start
### Setting Up Bird Verify API: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Bird Verify API empowers you to implement automated, multi-step verification strategies across various channels. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up Verify, focusing on SMS and WhatsApp integration.
## Setting Up SMS Verification
### Step 1: Country Coverage
* Identify your target countries, and check the best sender to use using this [guide](https://docs.bird.com/applications/channels/channels/supported-channels/sms/concepts/choose-the-right-sender-availability-and-restrictions-by-country)
* Submit a ticket to Bird to provision alphanumeric senders and/or numbers for those countries.
{% hint style="info" %}
To obtain global coverage, you will need only two channels
1. A USA Toll Free number is the most cost-effective solution for USA< Canada, and Puerto Rico. You can purchase it under developer -> numbers -> phone numbers, searching for USA and Toll Free
2. An alphanumeric (A max 11-character string related to your brand name), you can request one via developers -> numbers -> alphanumeric -> request new alphanumeric
{% endhint %}
### Step 2: Install SMS Channels
* Navigate to Developers -> SMS -> SMS Setup.
* Install SMS channels for each Bird-provisioned sender. (you may have to repeat this step twice one for your toll-free number and one for your alphanumeric)
* Crucially, always select "2FA" as the message type for navigator compatibility.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Bird strongly recommends using navigators over direct channel selection**. Even if you start with just one SMS channel, when using the Verify API , always send OTPs [via navigator](/api/channels-api/api-reference/navigators.md)s. Navigators abstract channel UUID changes, ensuring your integration remains stable even if you add or remove channels. This means your API calls will stay consistent, simplifying maintenance.
{% endhint %}
## Set Up WhatsApp 2FA
### Step 3: Install WhatsApp Channel
* Navigate to Developers -> WhatsApp -> WhatsApp Setup -> Install WhatsApp.
* You can use your own number or purchase a cost-effective number (e.g., a Canadian number).
Picture: use your own number
1. 
* Important: the Phone number of your WhatsApp account is not directly visible to end-users during the verification. They will see your company logo and anime, making choosing a great number a secondary matter.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip**: Don't delay setup trying to get a number from your own country, as these can be expensive or hard to obtain due to regulations. Using your own or a readily available number enables you to get started quickly. You can always add a localized number later as an improvement.
{% endhint %}
### Step 4 Create WhatsApp 2FA Template
* Go to Developers -> WhatsApp -> Manage Templates -> Create Template.
* Tips, use 2FA template configurations
2. 
* Set the authentication body's validity period to match your OTP validity (recommended: 300 seconds or less). This prevents stale OTPs from being delivered if a user's data connection is delayed.
* If your business uses an app, enable 0-click authentication for automatic password autofill in the action button. You can do so in the Action Buttons -> Authentication Button. This feature works seamlessly on Android phones and gracefully skips on iPhones or unsupported Android versions.
## Use a Two-Step Approach
When using the Verify API, always set up at least two steps (you can optionally add a third step via email). This provides the following advantages:
* Benefit of WhatsApp-Only Features: You can showcase your brand logo and name to your users and utilize buttons and auto-complete, which are impossible on SMS.
* Fallback Mechanism: Implement a two-step approach, starting with WhatsApp and automatically falling back to SMS when necessary.
* Mitigating WhatsApp Limitations: Meta does not provide WhatsApp number lookup. Bird's Verify API automatically falls back to SMS when a "not supported" error occurs, ensuring high verification rates.
* Seamless User Experience: This fallback is internal to the Bird platform and happens quickly, providing a smooth experience for your users.
{% hint style="info" %}
For less time-sensitive application email could be used as a 3rd step
{% endhint %}
### Step 5. Prepare your API call
The only action missing is Retrieving IDs:
* WhatsApp channel and template IDs are available in WhatsApp Setup and WhatsApp -> Manage Templates, respectively.
* OTP navigator UUID is visible in Developers -> Navigators -> Navigator Setup.
API Request Example:
```
{
"identifier": {
"phonenumber": "Recipient Number"
},
"maxAttempts": 3,
"timeout": 300,
"codeLength": 6,
"steps": [
{
"channelId": "whatsapp_channel_ID",
"template": {
"projectId": "whatsapp_template_ID",
"locale": "en",
"version": "whatsapp_template_version"
}
},
{
"navigatorId": "navigator_UUID"
}
]
}
```
{% hint style="info" %}
Auto Fallback: Whenever a WhatsApp message fails, Verify will move to send an OTP via SMS without any action from your side. If or when needed, you can always retrigger a specific step (refer to [API documentation](/api/verify-api.md#resend-a-code-for-a-specific-verification-step) for more info)
{% endhint %}
---
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