The basic rule
You cannot downgrade a subscription below the number of channels currently connected on that plan. If your WhatsApp Business subscription covers 3 numbers and you have 3 WhatsApp Business numbers connected, you must deactivate at least 1 number before you can reduce the quantity to 2.
This prevents you from accidentally paying for fewer slots than your account is actively using and keeps active channels from being cut off mid-conversation.
What “deactivating a channel” means
Each Octopods plan pairs with a specific kind of connection:
Omnichannel — counts regular messaging channels (Messenger, Telegram, LINE, Viber, and similar).
WhatsApp Business — counts WhatsApp Business numbers connected through a supported provider.
Instagram — counts connected Instagram accounts.
Slack — counts connected Slack workspaces.
Deactivating a channel removes it from the active count for its plan. You can find the deactivation control on the channel’s settings page inside your workspace. Once deactivated, the channel no longer sends or receives messages, and it stops counting toward the plan’s minimum required quantity.
Deactivate the extra channels first
Open Workspaces in your Octopods account and pick the workspace where the channel is connected.
Open the channel you want to remove and deactivate it from its settings.
Repeat for any additional channels you want to remove before downgrading.
See the channel-specific guides for deactivation steps, or open the channel’s settings page and look for the deactivate option.
Lower the quantity
Once the extra channels are deactivated:
Sign in to Octopods and open Billing & Subscriptions.
Find the plan you want to downgrade under Active Subscriptions and click View Details.
In the Update channel count dropdown, pick the new (lower) quantity.
Click Update Subscription.
The subscription now reflects the new quantity, and the next invoice will use the lower monthly price.
What if you forget to deactivate first?
If you try to set the quantity below the number of currently active channels, Octopods shows an error like: You have 3 Channels active. You need to deactivate at least 1 before you downgrade your subscription plan devices quantity.
The exact wording changes slightly depending on the plan — for example, “WhatsApp Business Channels”, “Instagram Accounts”, or “Slack Workspaces” — but the message always tells you how many active connections you currently have and how many you need to deactivate.
Go back, deactivate the required number of channels, then try the downgrade again.
When the change takes effect
The new quantity applies immediately to your subscription. The next invoice will charge the new monthly rate, and any difference for the current billing period is handled as a credit or proration so you aren’t billed for slots you’ve given up.
Removing a plan entirely
If you want to stop a plan altogether — not just reduce its quantity — cancel the subscription instead. Canceling deactivates the plan and all connected channels on it. See Canceling Your Subscription for the full cancellation flow.
Note: Downgrading affects only the plan you’re changing. Your other subscriptions and their allowances stay the same.
What’s next