Platform & policy
The 24-hour service window
One rule explains most "why can’t I send this?" questions on WhatsApp. Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform sets it, not TopEdge, so it applies to every provider.
Short answer
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour service window opens and you can reply with anything: text, images, documents. After 24 hours with no new message from them, only approved templates will send. Their next message reopens the window for another 24 hours.
Inside the window#
Send whatever the conversation needs: free text, product photos, a PDF invoice, a voice note.
Your Flow Builder menus and your agents in Live Chat work in this mode. That’s why ordinary replies need no template.
Outside the window#
Only an approved template will send. TopEdge can’t lift this; the Cloud API rejects anything else.
In Live Chat, the composer asks you to pick a template instead of letting you type.
| What you are doing | What is required |
|---|---|
| Replying to a customer who just messaged | Nothing — free text works. |
| Answering a question from three days ago | An approved template. If they reply, the window reopens. |
| Sending an order confirmation | An approved Utility template. No consent needed. |
| Sending a promotion | An approved Marketing template and recorded consent. |
| Chasing an abandoned cart | An approved template — the customer never messaged you. |
Reopening the window#
When a customer replies to anything, including a template you sent, a fresh 24-hour window opens.
That’s why a quick-reply button works so well: one tap puts you back in free-form conversation.
Common confusions#
- It is 24 hours from their last message, not yours
- Sending a template does not extend the window. Only an inbound message from the customer does.
- Opt-out does not close the window
- A customer who opted out of marketing can still be sent Utility templates and can still be replied to inside the window. Consent and the window are separate rules.
- The window is per customer
- It has nothing to do with your business hours or your other conversations.
- Agents hit the same rule
- A human replying three days later needs a template exactly as automation does. It is a platform rule, not a permissions setting.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the WhatsApp 24-hour rule?
- When a customer messages your business, you get a 24-hour window in which you can reply with any kind of message. After 24 hours without a new message from them, only pre-approved templates will send. Their next message reopens the window for another 24 hours.
- Does sending a template extend the 24-hour window?
- No. Only an inbound message from the customer resets the clock. But if the customer replies to your template, including by tapping a quick-reply button, a fresh 24-hour window opens.
- Can I send a photo to a customer after 24 hours?
- Not as a free-form message. Outside the window only approved templates send, and a template can carry an image header. Once the customer replies you are back inside the window and can send media freely.