Messaging windows

Meta's platforms, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, limit how long a business can reply to a customer. You can reply freely for 24 hours after the customer's last message. After that, the platform refuses the reply until the customer writes again.

This is Meta's rule, not OrbitBase's, and it applies to every business on those platforms. OrbitBase keeps track of it for you so you know when you can reply.

The website widget, Telegram and Slack have no messaging window. You can reply on those at any time.

How the window works

• It opens when the customer messages you. Each new message from the customer restarts the 24 hours.
• Your replies don't extend it. Only a message from the customer does.
• It closes a few minutes early in OrbitBase. OrbitBase closes the window slightly before Meta does, so a reply sent at the last moment isn't rejected.

What it means for your agent

Your agent answers customers within seconds, so it's almost always inside the window. If a reply is ever delayed past it, for example during a long outage, the platform refuses it. OrbitBase then hands the conversation to your team instead of letting the customer's message go unanswered.

What the inbox shows

When you open a conversation on Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp, the reply box shows whether you can reply.

The window is open

You can reply as normal.

The window has closed

The reply box is replaced by You can't reply right now, with an explanation:

• Messenger and Instagram: "Messenger only allows replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message. You can reply again as soon as they write back." On Instagram, the message names Instagram.
• WhatsApp: "WhatsApp only allows replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message. They need to message you first — template messages aren't supported yet."
• No customer message yet: if the customer has never messaged you in this conversation, the platform won't accept a reply until they do.

The reply box updates by itself. As soon as the customer writes back, you can reply again.

If you wrote a reply that couldn't be sent before the window closed, it shows Not sent, with a note that it can't be resent until the customer writes again.

Replying with Meta's human agent tag

On Messenger and Instagram, where this is available, Meta lets a person on your team reply for up to 7 days after the customer's last message, using Meta's human agent tag. When this applies, the reply box shows "Replying with Meta's human agent tag — available until…" with the time it ends.

• This is only for replies written by a person. Your agent never uses it, because Meta doesn't allow automated replies with this tag.
• It isn't available on WhatsApp.
• After 7 days, the window closes completely until the customer writes again.

WhatsApp template messages

Outside the 24-hour window, WhatsApp only allows businesses to send pre-approved template messages. OrbitBase doesn't support template messages yet. This means:

• You can't start a WhatsApp conversation with a customer who hasn't messaged you.
• You can't reply to a WhatsApp customer more than 24 hours after their last message.

The customer needs to message you to reopen the window.

Tips

• Reply to Meta customers quickly. Keep an eye on the Queue view, and sort by Waiting longest, so customers handed to your team are answered while the window is open.
• Ask for another way to reach them. If a conversation might take longer than a day to resolve, ask the customer for an email address or phone number while you can still reply. The Collect Leads action can capture these details automatically.
• Use cases for longer work. If a request will take days, open a case to track it. See Cases overview.

Next steps