WhatsApp 24-hour window: what it is and what you can send
Updated October 20, 2026
The WhatsApp 24-hour window, which Meta calls the customer service window, opens every time a customer messages or calls your business number. For the next 24 hours you can send them anything: free-form replies, photos, menus, buttons. When it closes, you can only send templates that Meta has approved in advance. Each new message from the customer restarts the clock.
In short
- Opened by the customer, never by you. A message or a call starts it; each new message resets it to 24 hours.
- Inside: any message, no template needed.
- Outside: only approved templates (marketing, utility or authentication), each charged by category.
- It decides what you can send, not what you pay. Since 1 October 2026 replies are free only for the first 1,000 a month per number.
- In the US, WhatsApp can send order updates (utility, about US$0.0034 each) but not promotions, because Meta doesn't deliver marketing templates to +1 numbers. Use email for offers.
How the window works: one customer's evening
| Time | What happens | Window | What the restaurant can send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 6:10 p.m. | Customer sends "Hi" to the restaurant's number | Opens, closes Wed 6:10 p.m. | Anything: the menu, an order button, a reply |
| Tue 6:25 p.m. | Customer asks "Do you have a vegan option?" | Resets, closes Wed 6:25 p.m. | Anything |
| Tue 7:05 p.m. | Order is out for delivery | Still open | A plain "on the way" message works |
| Wed 7:00 p.m. | Restaurant wants to say "thanks, here's a review link" | Closed | Only an approved template |
| Fri 5:00 p.m. | Restaurant wants to send a weekend offer | Closed | Only an approved marketing template, with opt-in (not deliverable to US numbers) |
The window belongs to one customer and one business number. A customer who wrote to your first number hasn't opened a window on your second.
What you can send inside and outside
| Inside the 24-hour window | Outside it | |
|---|---|---|
| Free-form text, images, menus, buttons | Yes | No |
| Approved templates | Yes | Yes, the only option |
| Cost of a reply | Service message: first 1,000 a month per number free, then charged | n/a |
| Cost of a template | Charged by category (utility templates are charged here too since 1 October 2026) | Charged by category |
On Meta's 1 October 2026 rate card, a service message beyond the free 1,000 costs the same as a utility message in every market: US$0.0034 to a North American number, US$0.022 to a UK number. Unused free messages don't roll over.
The window is different from the free entry point window. That one opens only when a customer comes from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, can stay open for up to 7 days, and makes every message in it free.
Why it trips up restaurants
The common mistake: a customer orders on the restaurant's website, never writes on WhatsApp, and the "your order is ready" message never arrives. No chat means no open window, so only a template gets through. The fix is to send order updates as utility templates when the window is closed.
The reverse also matters. A customer who just messaged "Hi" can get your menu, prices and an order button as ordinary replies, with no template and no approval wait.
A worked example: replies past the free tier
A busy WhatsApp ordering counter in London answers 1,600 customer chats a month. The first 1,000 replies are free. The other 600 cost 600 × US$0.022 = US$13.20 a month. The same counter with US customers: 600 × US$0.0034 = about US$2.04. Illustrative volumes with Meta's published rates.
How Menuthere handles the 24-hour window
- The inbox shows the clock. Each conversation header shows the time left, or "24h window closed — template only", with a Template button to send an approved template.
- Flows know the window. Order, loyalty, cart and store-open runs carry a
window_openvalue, so a Condition step can send a chat message inside the window and a template outside it. - Ready-made flows differ. The abandoned cart flow sends a chat message inside the window and a template outside it. The "We're open again" flow sends only inside the window. The order-update flows send a plain message, so add a template branch for customers who order without writing to you.
- On the Pro plan (US$39 a month), on your own WhatsApp Business number. Meta bills your account directly, with no Menuthere markup.
What it doesn't do: Menuthere can't extend the window or avoid Meta's charges. Customers can't pay inside the chat; replies link to your ordering page.
Answer "Hi" with an order button that opens your menu. 0% commission on every order.
Related terms
- WhatsApp utility template: what to send outside the window about an order.
- WhatsApp marketing template: offers, and why they don't reach US numbers.
- Free entry point window: the up-to-7-day free window after a click-to-WhatsApp ad.
- Abandoned cart reminder: a flow that switches between chat and template.
More detail: what is WhatsApp's 24-hour rule? and what changed on 1 October 2026.
FAQs
What is the 24-hour window on WhatsApp?
It is the customer service window that opens when a customer messages or calls a business on the WhatsApp Business Platform. For 24 hours the business can send any message; after that it can only send pre-approved templates. Each new customer message restarts the 24 hours.
Can I message a customer after 24 hours on WhatsApp?
Yes, but only with a template Meta has approved, such as a utility template about their order or a marketing template if they opted in to offers. Free-form messages are blocked once the window closes.
Are messages inside the 24-hour window free?
Not all of them, since 1 October 2026. Each number gets 1,000 free service replies a month; after that replies are charged, and utility templates sent inside the window are charged too. Messages inside a free entry point window from a click-to-WhatsApp ad stay free.
Does a website order open the 24-hour window?
No. Only a message or call from the customer on WhatsApp opens it. A customer who orders on your website and never writes to you needs template messages to get WhatsApp updates.
Is the 24-hour window the same as the free entry point window?
No. The 24-hour window opens whenever a customer writes to you and controls what you can send. The free entry point window opens only for chats from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, can stay open for up to 7 days, and makes every message in it free.
Sources (4)
- Meta for Developers, Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform (customer service window opens when a user messages or calls and resets with each message; non-template messages only while it is open; per-message pricing; from 1 Oct 2026 one free tier of 1,000 delivered service messages per number per month, no rollover; utility messages sent in response to users charged; free entry point window "may remain open for up to 7 days", click-to-WhatsApp ads on Android/iOS only): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta's USD rate card effective 1 Oct 2026 (utility = service price in every market; North America 0.0034, UK 0.022), as transcribed in Menuthere's cost calculator data (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Marketing Messages API: Get started (no delivery of marketing messages to US users from 1 April 2025): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/marketing-messages/get-started (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere help: The 24-hour window (inbox countdown, window per customer and number, window_open in flows, ready-made flow behavior): https://menuthere.com/docs/whatsapp/the-24-hour-window (accessed 20 Oct 2026)