The 24-hour reply window

The rule, in one line

WhatsApp lets a business reply freely for 24 hours after the client's last message. Outside that window, the business may only start the conversation with an approved template — a message WhatsApp has checked in advance.

This is WhatsApp's rule, not KretaOS's. KretaOS shows you where you stand before you type, so a message is never lost.

Reading the composer

Open Inbox, pick a client, and switch the composer to WhatsApp. A line above the text box tells you the state of their window:

• Reply window open until 6:40 PM — write anything, just as you would on your phone.
• Their 24-hour reply window has closed — WhatsApp only lets you start with an approved template. The text box is replaced by a template picker.

The window is worked out per client and per number. If the client wrote to your team number this morning, the window is open on the team number. It is not open on your own WhatsApp, and the reverse is true too. A reply you send from your phone does not open a window either — only the client's message does.

When there is more than one number you can send from, the From menu lets you choose. KretaOS starts with the number the client last wrote to.

Sending a template

1. Open Pick a template and choose one. Each shows its name and language. Marketing templates are labelled marketing.
2. Fill in each blank, such as the client's name or a date. Every blank must be filled before it can go.
3. Press Send.

The message that went out, with your words filled in, is saved on the client's timeline exactly as they received it.

If the list reads No approved templates yet, someone with access to your WhatsApp Business account needs to create one in WhatsApp Manager. Approval usually takes a few minutes. One set of templates serves every number under that account.

If a send is held

If a message reaches the window's edge in some other way — say, an automation tried to send — it is held, not dropped. Nothing is sent, and you see why in plain words: when the client last wrote, and that you should pick a template or wait for their next message. Pick a template takes you straight to the composer.

Try it

1. Open Inbox and pick a client you message on WhatsApp.
2. Switch the composer to WhatsApp and read the reply-window line.
3. If the window is closed, open Pick a template and look at what your team has approved.