24-hour window
The 24 hours after someone messages a business, during which the business can reply in its own words without a template.
When a person sends a message to a WhatsApp Business number, Meta opens a customer service window for 24 hours from that message. While it is open, the business can reply with anything: text, photos, documents and buttons, without a template.
Each new message from the person restarts the 24 hours. When the window closes, the business needs an approved template to write again.
Since October 1, 2026, each WhatsApp number gets 1,000 free replies a month inside these windows; after that, replies are charged at the utility rate for the person’s country.