24-hour window (customer service window)
The 24-hour window opens each time a customer messages a business on WhatsApp and closes 24 hours after their last message. Inside it the business may send any free-form message; outside it, only an approved template can be sent, at the template's price.
On this page
How it behaves
- Every customer message restarts the clock; the window closes 24 hours after the latest one.
- A business reply does not extend it.
- Inside the window a reply is free-form text, media or buttons — ₹0.115 each in India since 2026-10-01 (free before).
- Outside it a template is the only thing that goes through; a free-form send is rejected.
Why it exists
It is Meta's way of keeping WhatsApp a place where businesses answer rather than broadcast: the customer decides when the conversation is open.
What is the 24-hour window on WhatsApp?
The period after a customer's last message in which a business may send any free-form message. It opens with their message and closes 24 hours after their most recent one; outside it, only an approved template can be sent.
Does the 24-hour window reset when I reply?
No. Only the customer's messages reset it. Your own messages, template or not, do not extend it.
What does a message inside the 24-hour window cost?
Since 1 October 2026, ₹0.115 per message in India, before GST — the utility rate, with no volume tiers. The customer's messages stay free.
What is the difference between the 24-hour and the 72-hour window?
The 72-hour window is the free entry point a Click-to-WhatsApp ad or a Facebook Page button opens: three days in which every message, template or free-form, is free. The 24-hour window is the ordinary customer service window, opened by any customer message.
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Nearby terms
See it in a product. Linkubit answers, qualifies and quotes on WhatsApp from your catalogue, and adds nothing to Meta’s per-message price. Start free — fourteen days of Pro, no card — or read the pricing.
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