# Connecting your channels

How to connect Email, Voice, Instagram, and WhatsApp in Loop, where each connection lives, and how to disconnect a channel safely.

Loop reaches people over four channels — Email, Voice, Instagram, and WhatsApp. You manage all of them from **Settings → Channels**: Email is a one-click inbox provision, Voice and WhatsApp are already managed by Loop and just need to stay switched on, and Instagram connects through your Topmate account and also shows up under **Automations**.

## Where do I connect a channel?

Go to **Settings** and open the **Channels** tab. Each channel appears as a row with its current state and the action available for it:

- **Connected as `<address>`** — a self-serve channel you've connected, showing the inbox address or handle people will see.
- **Managed by Loop** — a channel Loop already operates for you; there's nothing to set up.
- **Not connected** — a self-serve channel with a **Connect** button.
- **Disconnected** — a managed channel you turned off, with a **Turn on** button to bring it back.

## How do I connect Email?

In **Settings → Channels**, find the **Email** row and click **Connect**. Loop provisions an inbox for you automatically — no separate mailbox setup is required. Once it's done, the row updates to **Connected as** followed by the inbox address, so you can confirm exactly what people will see when Loop emails them on your behalf.

## How do I connect Voice?

Voice is provisioned by Loop from the start, so there's no separate connect step. The **Voice** row shows **Managed by Loop — used automatically in your loops**. If you'd rather Loop not call on your behalf, you can disconnect it the same way as WhatsApp — see below.

## How do I connect Instagram?

Instagram connects through your Topmate account rather than a separate Loop login. In **Settings → Channels**, click **Connect** on the **Instagram** row:

1. Loop checks whether Instagram is already connected on your Topmate account. If it is, the connection reflects into Loop right away and the row flips to **Connected as `@yourhandle`**.
2. If it isn't connected yet, Loop opens Topmate in a new tab so you can finish connecting there. Once that's done, come back to Loop and click **Connect** again to pull the connection in.

Instagram is also first-class in the **Automations** section (in the sidebar, below Loops) — the same underlying connection powers both your automation rules and any Instagram conversations your loops start. You don't need to connect it twice; connecting from either surface reflects everywhere.

## How do I connect WhatsApp?

Like Voice, WhatsApp is managed by Loop from a shared number, so there's no per-creator setup. The **WhatsApp** row shows **Managed by Loop — used automatically in your loops** as soon as it's available on your account.

## How do I disconnect a channel safely?

For **Voice** and **WhatsApp** (the Loop-managed channels), click **Disconnect** next to the **Managed by Loop** pill on that row. Loop stops using that channel across every loop immediately, including any loop already running — nothing more goes out on it until you turn it back on. The row switches to **Disconnected** with a **Turn on** button whenever you want the channel back.

Email and Instagram don't have a disconnect action in **Settings → Channels** today — Instagram's connection state is managed through your Topmate account, and Email is tied to the inbox Loop provisioned for you.

## What does "Connected as" actually show me?

For Email, it's the inbox address Loop sends from. For Instagram, it's your real handle (for example `@yourstudio`), pulled from the same connection your **Automations** use — so what you see in **Settings** is exactly what people will see replying to your Loop.

## Where do I check channel status if a loop isn't reaching someone?

Start at **Settings → Channels** to confirm the channel you're using is connected or managed (not disconnected). From there, open the specific conversation in **Conversations** to see which channel a message went out on, or check the loop itself under **Loops** to confirm which channels it's configured to use.