How to set up auto reply on WhatsApp: the free greeting and away message, and an AI that answers every question
Auto reply works on WhatsApp Business, not personal WhatsApp. Set up the free greeting and away message step by step, then see when an AI agent that answers each question is worth it.
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Yes, you can set an auto reply on WhatsApp, but only on WhatsApp Business, not on personal WhatsApp. The free Business app has a greeting message, an away message and quick replies, which send the same fixed text to everyone. For replies that actually answer the customer's question, with the price, the photo and a follow-up, you need an AI agent such as Linkubit.
On this page
Fixed auto reply or an AI that answers
| Greeting and away message (Business app) | AI agent (Linkubit) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it sends | The same fixed message to everyone | An answer to what the customer actually asked, from your price list |
| Price and product photo | No | Yes |
| Asks the next question and follows up | No | Yes, and stops when the customer replies |
| Channels | WhatsApp only | WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and email in one inbox |
| Who can reply by hand | One person and their linked devices | Your whole team, and you can step into any chat |
| Cost | Free | Free plan to start; paid from ₹499 a month, plus Meta's message charges |
Set up the greeting and away message (free)
- Install WhatsApp Business (the green app with a B), not ordinary WhatsApp. You can move your number across and keep your chats.
- Open Tools (on iPhone, Settings › Business tools).
- Tap Greeting message, switch it on and write it. It goes to new customers and to anyone who writes after 14 days of silence.
- Tap Away message, switch it on, write it and choose when it sends, for example outside your business hours.
- Tap Quick replies to save answers you type often. In a chat, type / and pick one.
A good greeting sets expectations rather than pretending to answer: "Thanks for messaging Kapoor Furniture! We reply between 10 am and 8 pm. Tell us what you're looking for and your city, and we'll come back with prices."
When a fixed reply stops being enough
Most WhatsApp enquiries are a question: the price, whether it's in stock, whether you deliver to their city. A fixed message can't answer any of them, so the customer still waits, and the one who messaged three shops buys from whoever answered first. That is the point where people move to an AI that reads the question.
An AI agent that replies like your best salesperson
With an AI agent on the WhatsApp Business API, every enquiry gets a real answer within seconds, at any hour: the price from your catalogue, the product photo, whether you deliver to their city. It asks the one or two questions that tell you if they're buying, follows up the next day if they go quiet, and passes the ready buyers to your team with the whole chat attached. Your team shares one number in one inbox, and anyone can step into a chat.
Replies inside the 24 hours after a customer writes can say anything; after that, WhatsApp only allows an approved template, which the agent sends for you when a follow-up is due.
In Linkubit
The AI answers every WhatsApp, Instagram and email enquiry from your own price list, in the language the customer wrote in, and hands the chat to your team when it should. You can try it on the free plan with your own number.
Can I set an auto reply on personal WhatsApp?
No. Personal WhatsApp has no auto-reply setting. Switch to the free WhatsApp Business app, which has a greeting and an away message. Third-party "auto reply" apps that read your notifications risk your number being restricted.
Why isn't my WhatsApp greeting message sending?
It only goes to someone writing for the first time or after 14 days of silence, so a regular customer won't get it. Check that it is switched on under Tools › Greeting message.
Is WhatsApp auto reply free?
On the Business app, yes: the greeting, away message and quick replies cost nothing. On the API, replies inside the 24-hour window are free for the first 1,000 a month on each number, then a small Meta charge per message.
Can an auto reply send different answers to different questions?
Not the Business app's greeting or away message: they send one fixed text. An AI agent like Linkubit reads each message and answers it from your own price list and documents.
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