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WhatsApp BusinessThe 24 hour window, then templates.
WhatsApp plays by its own rules: after a customer message you have 24 hours for any free form reply, and outside that window only templates pre approved by Meta are allowed. Go&Reply shows how much time is left and offers the right template when the window has closed.
WhatsApp Business API, a number in a WABA and Meta Business Manager
Where messages come from
How messaging works here
This is the most regulated of the eight channels, and also the most effective: messages here are almost always read.
The window timer in plain sightEvery conversation shows how many hours are left for a free form reply, so the team does not discover an expired window at send time.
Meta templates at handApproved templates sit next to the conversation and variables are filled from the customer card, order number and tracking included.
Autopilot inside the windowWhile the window is open the Autopilot replies in free form in your brand voice. Once it closes it does not try to write on its own but offers a template to a person.
One number, the whole teamConversations are distributed among team members with roles, so nobody has to pass a phone with WhatsApp around.
What the API allows
What WhatsApp allows
Meta sets the rules and the pricing here, so it matters to know what is free, what is paid and what is not allowed at all.
Free form replies for 24 hoursWorksThe countdown starts from the customer's last message and resets when they write again.
Send media and documentsWorksPhotos, video, a PDF invoice or manual, within WhatsApp's own size limits.
Writing outside the 24 hour windowWith a limitOnly with a template approved by Meta in advance. Meta bills that send by its own per conversation pricing, which is not part of the Go&Reply subscription.
New templatesWith a limitCreated in Go&Reply but reviewed by Meta, which takes from minutes to a day. The review status is visible in the template list.
WhatsApp group chatsNot availableThe WhatsApp Business API gives no access to groups: only one to one customer conversations are available.
A regular personal WhatsAppNot availableA number attached to a WhatsApp Business Account is required. A regular app account will not work over the API, though a number can be migrated into a WABA.
Conversation
24 hour window
Has order 4821 shipped?Yes, it left this morning. Tracking 12345, two days to delivery.Free form reply available for 15 more hours
Templates
outside the windowOrder shippedApprovedSend
Payment reminderApprovedSend
Back in stockIn review
Templates are approved by Meta and billed by Meta
Connecting
Connecting the number
This is the longest of the eight connections because Meta verifies both the number and the business. It usually takes from half an hour to a day.
- A WhatsApp Business Account linked to Meta Business Manager
- A phone number not in use in the regular WhatsApp app
- A payment method in Meta: it bills sends outside the window
1Pick the Meta Business Manager and the WABA number when connecting
2Confirm the number with a code and wait for Meta's review
3Create your first templates: delivery, payment, back in stock
Access is granted the network's official way and revoked in one click
FAQ
About WhatsApp
Two questions about money and about the number, better settled before connecting.
Replies inside the 24 hour window are not billed separately, they are part of your subscription. Sending a template outside the window is billed by Meta per conversation at its own rates, charged directly to your payment method rather than through Go&Reply.
Yes, but the number has to be migrated into a WhatsApp Business Account, after which it stops working in the regular app. That is why teams usually take a separate number for work and leave the personal one alone.
More networks
They connect the same way
Connect WhatsApp Business and see for yourself.
Seven days free, all eight networks available from the start, cancel whenever you like.