Inbox & automation
The 24-hour window: when you can reply with free text
A customer message opens a 24-hour window for free-form replies. Outside it you need a template. First 1,000 service messages per month are free.
Last reviewed 9 November 2026
WhatsApp lets a business send any text, image or document to a customer only inside the 24 hours after the customer's last message. PayPerWA shows the remaining time at the top of each inbox conversation.
Inside the window
- Reply from Inbox, from a chatbot, or through the API with free text and media.
- Meta counts these as service messages: the first 1,000 per number per month are free, then ₹0.115 each. Replies you type in the Inbox carry no PayPerWA fee; chatbot replies and API sends carry the ₹0.20 platform fee.
Outside the window
- Only an approved template can be sent. Free-form sends fail with Meta error 131047.
- Use a Utility template ("Your order update…") or Marketing template to re-open the conversation. When the customer replies, the 24-hour window starts again.
Tips
Keep a short "We missed you" Utility template approved for exactly this case. Chatbots that end with a question keep customers replying, which keeps the window open.
Still stuck?
Chat with a person on WhatsApp or raise a ticket with a screenshot. We reply on every ticket by email.