WhatsApp lets a business reply freely for 24 hours after the customer's last message. After that, you can only send a text in an approved message format, without photos, until the customer writes again. This is a WhatsApp rule for every business, not a dashboard setting.
How to tell if the window is open
The dashboard shows it in three places:
- In the chat list: a dot on the customer's picture. Green means the window is open; gray means 24 hours have passed.
- Next to the customer's name at the top of the chat, the same dot.
- Under the message box: You can reply · … left, with the time remaining (for example, 5h 20m), or 24 h without customer messages once it closes. The same line appears in the Customer panel.
Hover over the dot or the line for a short explanation.
While the window is open
The customer wrote in the last 24 hours, so you can send normal messages and photos, as many as you need. Each new message from the customer starts the 24 hours again.
After the window closes
You can still write to the customer, with these limits:
- Your text goes out in an approved message format. WhatsApp requires businesses to use pre-approved messages to restart a conversation. Edenia sets this format up for your number. Your words are placed inside it, so the customer may also see a fixed greeting or closing around your text.
- The language follows your message. Write in Spanish or English and the matching format is used.
- Keep it short and in one paragraph. Line breaks may be joined into a single paragraph.
- No photos. The image button is disabled and shows Images can only be sent within 24 hours of the customer's last message.
Once the customer answers, the window opens again and everything goes back to normal.
What it means for the assistant
The assistant only answers when a customer writes, so it always replies inside the window. If your inbox is set to The team, then the assistant and nobody replies before the customer's last message is 24 hours old, the assistant won't answer that message either. See Who answers first on WhatsApp.
Good to know
- Message shows Not sent? Tap Retry. If it keeps failing on a closed window, your number may not have an approved format yet; contact Edenia support.
- Use it to follow up, not to chat. A good message after 24 hours is a short note that invites the customer to reply, for example "Hi, your order is ready. Write to us if you have any questions." Once they reply, you can talk normally.
- The time is counted from the customer's last message, not from yours. Replying yourself doesn't extend the window.