**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-Key` header. They share neither the purpose nor the mechanism.