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The Inbox is where you (or your team) can read and answer WhatsApp chats yourself, like in the WhatsApp app. Open it from the sidebar when your WhatsApp number is picked. It fills the whole screen.

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The parts of the Inbox

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Answering a chat

Type your message and send it. As soon as you reply, you take over the chat: the bot stops answering that customer, so you don’t talk over each other.
  • Take over: pause the bot for this chat without writing anything yet.
  • Hand back to the bot: let the bot answer this customer again.
Your flows can also send chats here with the Hand over to a person block.

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Sending pictures and files

  • Photos: JPG or PNG up to 5 MB, with a caption. Use the paperclip, drag the picture in, or paste it.
  • Documents: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CSV or text files up to 16 MB.
  • Emoji: use the emoji picker.
Photos customers send show in the chat, and their documents can be downloaded. Pictures, audio, video and PDFs open in your browser; other files download. WhatsApp keeps customer files for 30 days.

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The 24-hour window

You can only send normal messages for 24 hours after the customer’s last message. The details column shows the time left. When it closes, the Inbox explains why you can’t reply and you need an approved template to reach them.

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Who can use the Inbox?

Collaborators with the Read and answer WhatsApp chats permission. The Operator, Builder and Admin roles have it. See Collaborators.