To set up an auto reply on WhatsApp, open the WhatsApp Business app, go to the Tools tab, tap Away message, and turn on Send away message. Edit the text, set a schedule, and choose who receives it.
That covers out-of-hours cover. It does not answer questions, because the app sends the same text to everyone.
iShort answer
The free WhatsApp Business app gives you three tools: an away message, a greeting message, and up to 50 quick replies. The first two send automatically and the third still needs a person. None of them reads what the customer asked.
Stay on the free app if most messages arrive in working hours and a person can answer them. Move to an AI chatbot when the same questions keep arriving out of hours and the answers already exist on your website.
Each level answers more of the question and takes more setup.
Fixed messages
Away and greeting messages in the free Business app. Same text for everyone, sent automatically.
Saved replies
Up to 50 quick replies, inserted with a forward slash. Faster typing, still sent by a person.
Scripted flows
A menu or flow on the WhatsApp Business Platform. Handles the paths you scripted in advance.
AI replies
A chatbot trained on your content reads the question and writes the answer, then hands off to a person.
How do you set up an away message in WhatsApp Business?
It takes five steps in the WhatsApp Business app. These follow WhatsApp's own help center article for Android. The iOS steps are on the same page.
- From the Tools tab, tap Away message.
- Turn on Send away message.
- Under Away message, tap the message to edit it, then tap OK.
- Tap Schedule and pick when it sends.
- Tap Recipients, pick who receives it, and save.
The schedule has three options.
| Schedule | When the message sends |
|---|---|
| Always send | At all times |
| Custom schedule | Only during a period you specify, such as a holiday closure |
| Outside of business hours | Only outside the hours in your business profile |
The third option appears only if you have set business hours in your business profile. Set those first if you want the app to follow them.
Recipients can be everyone, everyone not in your address book, everyone except contacts you choose, or only contacts you choose.
What does a greeting message do?
A greeting message welcomes a customer who writes to you. WhatsApp's greeting message article says it is sent automatically "when they first message you", and again when a customer messages after 14 days of inactivity.
It has the same recipient choices as the away message. It has no schedule, because it is tied to the customer's first message.
Use it to set expectations. Tell the customer who they have reached, how fast a person replies, and what to send so the first answer is useful. An order number or a postcode is a common ask.
The same article notes that the device needs an active internet connection. If the business phone is off or offline, the greeting waits.
What are quick replies?
Quick replies are saved messages for answers you type often. WhatsApp's quick replies article calls them shortcuts, and you insert one by typing a forward slash in the chat.
The app stores up to 50. That is enough for opening hours, the returns policy, delivery times, and directions.
A quick reply is not automatic. A person reads the question, picks the reply, and sends it. It cuts typing time and keeps wording consistent, but someone still has to be there.
What should an auto reply say?
A useful auto reply does three jobs in two or three sentences. It says when a person will answer, it points to self-service, and it gives urgent cases another route.
Thanks for your message. We are closed now and reply from 9am, Monday to Friday. Opening hours, prices, and returns are at [your website]. For an urgent order problem, call [phone number].
Hi, you have reached [business name]. A member of the team usually replies within [time] during working hours. To help us answer first time, please send your order number or postcode.
We are closed from [date] to [date] and will reply to every message when we are back on [date]. Orders placed before [date] ship as normal. You can track an order at [link].
Avoid promising a reply time you cannot keep. A customer told "within the hour" at 11pm will message again at midnight.
Where does the free app stop?
The free app covers one phone, a few linked devices, and fixed text. Five limits show up as message volume grows.
| Scenario | Best pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A customer asks a real question at night | The away message sends | The customer gets the same text as everyone else. The question waits until morning. |
| The same ten questions arrive every day | Quick replies help | A person still has to read each message and send the saved reply. |
| Several people need to answer | Linked devices help | WhatsApp allows one phone and up to four linked devices. Nobody can see who is handling which chat. |
| The business phone is off or offline | Automation can stall | WhatsApp says the device needs an active internet connection for a greeting message to send. |
| You want to capture a lead out of hours | Nothing in the app | Fixed text cannot ask a follow-up question or collect contact details. |
None of these is a flaw in the app. It was built for a small business answering by hand, and it does that job for free.
WhatsApp's linked devices article adds one more rule: linked devices log out if the phone goes unused for more than 14 days.
When should AI write the reply?
Move to AI when the questions are repetitive, they arrive when nobody is working, and the answers already exist in writing. If all three are true, a chatbot can answer most messages from your own content.
The same out-of-hours question, handled two ways.
Away message
- Customer asks if a product is in stock
- Gets: we are closed, back at 9am
- Question waits overnight
- A person answers in the morning
AI chatbot
- Customer asks if a product is in stock
- Chatbot reads the question
- Answers from your product pages
- Offers a person if it cannot answer
An AI chatbot does not run inside the WhatsApp Business app. It runs on the WhatsApp Business Platform, Meta's API for businesses, through a tool that connects your number. Four things change when you make that move.
- The reply reads the question. The chatbot looks up the answer in your website, files, and help center, then writes it.
- It runs on a server. It replies whether or not a phone is switched on.
- A person can still step in. On SiteGPT a conversation goes to your team when the customer taps an Escalate button or the chatbot decides a person is needed.
- It costs money. SiteGPT's WhatsApp add-on is $59 a month billed monthly, or $39 a month billed yearly, on top of a plan.
You do not have to give up the app. Meta's coexistence feature lets a chatbot answer on the number you already use while your team keeps the WhatsApp Business app. On SiteGPT, a reply you send from the app pauses the AI for that conversation.
One caution applies. Meta's help center says greeting and away messages are automatically disabled once Meta's own Business Agent is connected to the app. Decide which tool owns the first reply so customers do not get two.
The setup, step by step, is in how to create a WhatsApp chatbot. What the chatbot does and does not do on the channel is at WhatsApp AI chatbot. Even with AI answering, the wording your team uses after a handoff still matters, and the customer service email templates adapt well to chat.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up an auto reply on WhatsApp?
Use the WhatsApp Business app. From the Tools tab, tap Away message, turn on Send away message, edit the text, choose a schedule, and choose the recipients.
The app then sends that message automatically to customers who write during the schedule you set.
Does regular WhatsApp have auto reply?
No. Away messages and greeting messages are features of the WhatsApp Business app. That is a separate free app.
What is the difference between an away message and a greeting message?
An away message tells customers you are busy or away, and it follows a schedule you choose. A greeting message welcomes a customer the first time they message you, and again after 14 days without contact.
Both are fixed text, and neither reads what the customer asked.
Can WhatsApp auto reply answer customer questions?
Not in the free app. Away and greeting messages send the same text to everyone.
Answering the actual question needs a chatbot on the WhatsApp Business Platform. The platforms that do this are compared in best WhatsApp AI chatbots.
Is WhatsApp auto reply free?
Yes in the WhatsApp Business app. Away messages, greeting messages, and quick replies cost nothing.
AI replies run through a paid tool. Since 1 October 2026 Meta also charges for replies beyond the first 1,000 a month on each number, as set out in WhatsApp Business API pricing.
How many quick replies can I save in WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp's help center says the maximum is 50. A person still chooses and sends each one.
Can I use AI auto reply and keep the WhatsApp Business app?
Yes, on platforms that support Meta's coexistence feature. The AI answers on your existing number and your team keeps using the app.
On SiteGPT, a reply you send from the app pauses the AI for that conversation until you resolve it or release it.
Do auto replies work when my phone is off?
WhatsApp's help center says the device needs an active internet connection for a greeting message to send. A chatbot on the WhatsApp Business Platform runs on a server, so it replies whether or not any phone is on.
Sources
- How to use away messages, WhatsApp Help Center. Setup steps, schedule options, and recipients.
- How to use greeting messages, WhatsApp Help Center. When a greeting sends, and the internet connection requirement.
- How to use quick replies, WhatsApp Help Center. The 50 quick reply limit.
- About linked devices, WhatsApp Help Center. One phone and up to four linked devices.
- Business AI experiences, WhatsApp Help Center. Greeting and away messages are disabled when Meta Business Agent is connected.
- Connect WhatsApp, SiteGPT documentation. Handoff and replies from the WhatsApp Business app.