This is WhatsApp’s rule, not ours, and it catches everybody out once. Worth five minutes now rather than confusion later.
What the rule is
When a customer messages you, WhatsApp opens a 24-hour window. Inside it you can reply normally, as many times as you like, saying whatever you need to say.
Once 24 hours pass with no message from them, WhatsApp will only let you send an approved template until they reply again. Files cannot be sent at all until the window reopens.
Why it exists
To stop businesses messaging people who are not expecting it. Every business on WhatsApp lives with it, not just ones using this add-on and not just small ones. You cannot turn it off and neither can we.
It is worth understanding rather than resenting. It is the reason WhatsApp is still a channel customers actually read, rather than another inbox full of things they ignore.
How to tell which state you are in
The chip at the top of the conversation says:
- “Replies open · 5h left”, with the hours counting down. Send whatever you like.
- “Template only”. The window has closed. Send a template, or wait for them to reply.
The countdown is there so you can make a judgement call. If it says two hours left and you know you will need to send something tonight, send it now.
The way round it
If you connected using the “keep my app” route, replying from the WhatsApp Business app on your phone is not subject to the window, and Meta does not charge for it either.
So: window closed, and you genuinely need to reach that customer? Answer from the app on your phone. It appears in ServiceM8 afterwards like any other message.
What changes on 1 October 2026
Replying inside the window is free today. From 1 October Meta charges for those replies too, at the same rate as templates. Replies sent from the app on your phone stay free. What it costs has the detail.