What this helps you do

Send a safe WhatsApp answer from Inbox and understand why normal replies sometimes stop working.

Before you start

Open the conversation and look below the customer name:

  • Reply window open means you can send a normal message. Upstorr also shows how much time remains.
  • Template required means WhatsApp's 24-hour free-reply window is closed.

The 24 hours restart when the customer sends a new incoming message. Sending your own message does not restart the window.

Steps

  1. Open the customer's conversation.
  2. Confirm that it says Reply window open and is not blocked.
  3. Type a message, choose a quick reply, attach a file, or record a voice message.
  4. Review the exact text and selected file.
  5. Select Send and watch its delivery label.

Send a text reply

  1. Type your message in the box at the bottom.
  2. Add an emoji if needed.
  3. Read the message once more.
  4. Select Send.

A text reply can contain up to 4,096 characters.

Send a file

  1. Select the attachment button.
  2. Choose one supported file.
  3. Check its name, type, and size.
  4. Add a caption only when the file type allows one.
  5. Send the message.

The limits are:

  • image: 5 MB;
  • video: 16 MB;
  • audio file: 16 MB;
  • recorded voice message: 16 MB;
  • document: 100 MB; and
  • sticker: 500 KB.

Images, videos, and documents can have a caption of up to 1,024 characters. Audio, voice messages, and stickers cannot have a caption. Send the text as a separate message for those types.

Record a voice message

Select the microphone, allow microphone access if your browser asks, and speak. You can discard the recording, pause it, or finish and send it. If microphone permission is denied, enable it for the Inbox site in your browser settings and try again.

Use a quick reply

Open the quick-reply picker and choose a saved message. Upstorr places its text in the message box so you can review and change it before sending. A quick reply does not send automatically.

When the 24-hour window is closed

You cannot send a normal free-form reply. Select Open campaigns and send an approved WhatsApp template from the Upstorr admin. A normal reply becomes available again after the customer sends a new message.

This rule comes from WhatsApp. Marking the chat Open, Pending, Closed, or Unread does not reopen the window.

When the chat is blocked

Unblock the conversation before replying. Unblocking returns it to Open; it does not bypass the WhatsApp reply window.

Understand media placeholders

  • Media deleted: the stored file was moved to Trash or deleted by retention cleanup.
  • File not stored because media storage is full: the message remains, but Upstorr could not keep a copy of its file.
  • Media could not be stored: storage failed during intake.

What happens next

The reply appears in the conversation with Sent, Delivered, Read, or Failed status. It also becomes visible to teammates who can open that chat.

Common problems

  • Send is unavailable: Check your staff permission, blocked status, and reply-window label.
  • A file is rejected: Use a supported type and keep it below the exact size limit above.
  • A caption is rejected: Send text separately for audio, voice, or sticker messages.
  • A message says Failed: Open the failure reason, correct the issue, and send a new message.