The WhatsApp 24-Hour Window, Explained

Every time a customer messages your business on WhatsApp, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Inside it you can reply with any kind of message: text, images, documents, buttons or lists. Once 24 hours pass without a new message from the customer, the window closes and you can only send approved template messages until they write again.

The window decides what you can send and what you pay. This guide covers what opens and resets it, what you can send inside and outside it, the pricing rules that apply since 1 October 2026, and how to bring a customer back after it closes.

What opens the 24-hour window

The window opens when the customer sends you a message, of any kind: a text, a photo, a voice note, a tap on a quick-reply button or a reaction to a message. It lasts 24 hours from that message. Each new message from the customer restarts the clock, so an active conversation can stay open all day.

Your own messages never open or extend the window. Sending a template doesn’t open it either: the window only opens once the customer replies to that template.

What you can send inside and outside the window

If you try to send a normal (non-template) message after the window has closed, Meta rejects it with error 131047 (“re-engagement message”). The fix is simple: send a template instead, or wait for the customer to write again.

What it costs (rules since 1 October 2026)

• Customer messages to you: always free.
• Your service replies (non-template replies inside the window): the first 1,000 per business number each month are free, then charged.
• Utility templates (order updates, reminders): charged per delivered message, even inside an open window since 1 October 2026.
• Marketing and authentication templates: charged per delivered message, inside or outside the window.

For most businesses this means everyday customer support stays free or close to it, while anything you start yourself is a paid template. Exact rates for India are in WhatsApp API pricing in India, and what’s free is summed up in Is WhatsApp API free?.

Longer free windows from ads

When a customer messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad (on the WhatsApp app for Android or iPhone), Meta opens a free entry point window. If you reply within 24 hours, that reply is free and your messages to that customer stay free for up to 7 days, templates included. It’s one reason Click-to-WhatsApp ads are popular for lead generation: you pay for the ad, and the follow-up conversation is free for a week.

More in Click-to-WhatsApp ads: how to create them and what they cost.

How to re-engage a customer after the window closes

1. Pick the right template category. An order or appointment update is utility; an offer or a “we miss you” message is marketing. Meta checks the category when you submit the template.
2. Make sure they opted in. Templates can only go to people who agreed to hear from your business on WhatsApp. See WhatsApp opt-in.
3. Add a reply button. A button such as “Yes, I’m interested” or “Call me back” gives the customer a one-tap way to reopen the window.
4. Reply fast when they answer. Their reply opens a new 24-hour window, so you can continue with normal messages.

Common mistakes

• Replying the next morning to an evening enquiry. If more than 24 hours have passed, a normal reply fails. Use an away message and reply within the window, or send a utility or marketing template.
• Assuming a sent template opens the window. It doesn’t; only the customer’s reply does.
• Sending reminders as free-form messages. Scheduled reminders usually go out after the window has closed, so they must be templates.
• Forgetting the window is per customer. Each contact has their own window, based on their latest message.

How Automate AI helps

In the Automate AI shared inbox, each chat shows whether the customer’s window is still open (except on coexistence numbers, where replies sent from the phone app aren’t visible to the inbox). When it has closed, the message box switches to choosing an approved template instead of letting a message fail, and campaign reports explain failed messages in plain words, such as “More than 24 hours have passed since the customer last replied.” The AI Assistant and chatbot reply within seconds, so customers get an answer while the window is open. Plans and message rates are on the pricing page.