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Documentation Index

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WhatsApp is not SMS. What you can send to a user depends on who initiated the conversation and how long ago. This page explains the one rule that shapes everything else — the 24-hour Customer Service Window. For category and pricing details, see:

Template categories

Marketing, Utility, Authentication, and when to use each.

Pricing

How Meta charges, the free-message scenarios, and volume tiers.

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The 24-hour Customer Service Window (CSW)

A Customer Service Window opens when the user sends you a message. For the next 24 hours you can reply with any message type — free-form text, media, interactive buttons, lists — without using a template. Once 24 hours pass from the user’s last inbound message, the window closes. After that, the only thing you can send is a pre-approved template message.
The window resets every time the user sends you a new inbound message. There is no way to extend it by sending outbound messages.

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What opens or resets the window

  • Any inbound message from the user (text, media, interactive reply, location, contacts, reaction)
  • A tap on a Quick Reply button that emits a reply
  • A WhatsApp voice call from the user to your business

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What does not open or reset the window

  • A delivery or read receipt on a message you sent
  • A template send from your side (you opened outbound, not inbound)
  • An outbound call you placed to the user

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Where you see it

In the Conversations view, each thread shows the session clock and whether the window is open or closed. When closed, the free-form composer is disabled and only the template picker is available.

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What you can send when

ScenarioFree-formTemplate
User replied in the last 24h (CSW open)✅✅
User replied more than 24h ago (CSW closed)—✅
User has never messaged you (cold outreach)—✅ (per opt-in)
User opted out (globally or for this list)——
Template is approvedn/a✅
Template is pending / rejected / pausedn/a—
What each scenario costs is a separate question — see Pricing for the free scenarios and the per-message charges.
Sending Marketing templates to users who did not opt in violates Meta’s WhatsApp Business policies and will degrade your number’s quality score. See Compliance.

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What’s next

Template categories

Marketing, Utility, Authentication, reclassification, and CPR.

Pricing

How Meta charges and when messages are free.

Per-user marketing limits

The dynamic cap Meta applies per user — one of the most common reasons marketing messages silently don’t deliver.

Quality and limits

Number quality, messaging tiers, and the rate limits that apply to your sends.