The WhatsApp 24-hour window, explained
After a customer messages you, you have 24 hours to reply freely. After that only approved templates go through. Here's how the window works, what it costs, and how to re-open it.
On the WhatsApp Business API, every chat runs on a timer. When a customer messages or calls your business, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Inside it you can reply with anything. Once it closes, WhatsApp only delivers approved templates.
How the window works
| What happens | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Customer sends a message or calls | The window opens for 24 hours |
| Customer messages again | The timer restarts at 24 hours |
| 24 hours pass with no new customer message | The window closes |
| You send a template and the customer replies | A new 24-hour window opens |
The window belongs to each customer separately. One customer can be inside it while another is outside.
What you can send inside the window
Anything you can type or attach: text, photos, videos, documents, voice notes, buttons, lists, products from your catalogue, and chatbot replies. No approval is needed.
What you can send after 24 hours
Only a message template that Meta has approved — for example a follow-up, a payment reminder or an offer. If you try to send a normal message, Meta rejects it with error 131047 ("more than 24 hours have passed since the recipient last replied").
In Adwix Connect the composer tells you the window is closed and shows a Send Template button instead. See Reply to customers from the shared inbox.
What it costs
Meta charges per delivered message, by category. Inside the window:
- Free-form replies (service messages) — the first 1,000 a month per number are free. From 1 October 2026 Meta charges for service messages beyond that.
- Utility templates — charged at the utility rate. (They were free inside the window until 30 September 2026.)
- Marketing and authentication templates — charged at their normal rates, inside or outside the window.
Outside the window you can only send templates, so every message is a charged template. Work out your monthly bill with the WhatsApp API pricing calculator.
Five ways to keep the window open
- Reply fast. Most customers answer within minutes of your reply, which resets the timer.
- End with a question. "Shall I hold the Saturday slot for you?" gets a reply; "Let us know" does not.
- Use buttons. A quick-reply button is one tap for the customer and counts as a message from them.
- Automate the first answer. An automatic reply at midnight keeps the chat alive until your team is back.
- Schedule the follow-up before it closes. On the Professional plan you can write a reply now and schedule it — Adwix warns you if the window will have closed by then.
Re-open a closed window
- Open the chat and click Send Template.
- Pick an approved template — a short, useful one works best: "Hi {{1}}, are you still looking for the Manali package? Reply YES and I'll share today's price."
- When the customer replies, the window opens again for 24 hours.
Keep one or two follow-up templates approved at all times so your team is never stuck. Here is how to create a template and a set of ready-to-copy template examples.
Frequently asked questions
Can I message a customer after 24 hours on WhatsApp Business API?
Yes, but only with a message template that Meta has approved. Free-form messages are rejected once the 24-hour customer service window has closed. When the customer replies to your template, a new 24-hour window opens.
Does the 24-hour window restart with every customer message?
Yes. Each new message or call from the customer resets the timer to a full 24 hours. Your own replies do not extend it.
Does the 24-hour rule apply to the WhatsApp Business app?
No. The 24-hour customer service window is a rule of the WhatsApp Business API (Cloud API). The free WhatsApp Business app has no such window, but it also has no shared inbox, automation or approved-template broadcasts.
Are replies inside the 24-hour window free?
The first 1,000 free-form service replies each month per number are free. Beyond that Meta charges for service messages, and template messages are charged by category whether the window is open or not.
Still stuck?
Message us on WhatsApp — a real person from the Adwix team will help you finish it.