Messaging Fundamentals

Conversation Window & Sessions

Effective messaging on the WhatsApp Business API revolves around structured conversations that respect user preferences and platform rules. This setup ensures timely, relevant interactions while minimizing spam risks. For business users, understanding these basics helps optimize customer engagement, from support queries to promotional outreach. Platforms like Chakra Chat make this seamless by automating session tracking, template approvals, and re-engagement flows, so you can focus on delivering value without worrying about compliance pitfalls.

In this section, we'll explore the core elements of WhatsApp conversations, including session windows and initiation rules, to help you build stronger customer relationships.

What is a Conversation?

In WhatsApp's ecosystem, a conversation is defined as a series of messages exchanged between a business and a user over a 24-hour period. It's not just casual chat—it's a billed unit based on the type of interaction (e.g., service, marketing). Conversations start when the first message is delivered and are categorized by their purpose, such as customer service or promotions. This structure helps WhatsApp track usage, apply pricing, and enforce quality standards. For instance, a simple query-response thread counts as one conversation, but escalating to multiple topics within the window doesn't create new ones unless the category shifts.

Chakra Chat simplifies this by providing dashboards that visualize conversation histories, making it easy to monitor and analyze interactions without technical expertise.

24-Hour Customer window

Session Messaging” Explained Simply

The 24-hour customer service window, often called "session messaging," is a time-limited period where businesses can send any type of message freely after a user initiates contact. Think of it as an open door: Once a user messages or calls your business number, the window opens (or refreshes if already active), allowing unrestricted communication for the next 24 hours. During this time, you can use free-form text, media, or interactive elements without needing pre-approved templates.

This window promotes responsive support, like answering queries or sending updates in real-time. If no user interaction occurs within 24 hours, the window closes, restricting you to template messages only. It's a user-centric rule that keeps conversations relevant and prevents unsolicited spam.

With Chakra Chat, you get real-time notifications for open windows, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to engage effectively.

Business vs User-Initiated Conversations

Conversations on WhatsApp Business API are classified by who starts them, impacting what you can send and how it's charged.

• User-Initiated Conversations: These begin when a customer messages or calls your business first, opening the 24-hour window. They're typically service-oriented, like support requests, and allow free-form responses. No templates are required here, and they're often lower-cost since they're reactive.
• Business-Initiated Conversations: If your business reaches out first (e.g., for marketing or updates), you must use approved templates to start. These fall into categories like marketing, utility, or authentication and can open a new conversation outside an active window. They're proactive but come with stricter rules to protect users from unwanted messages.

The key difference? User-initiated feels natural and builds trust, while business-initiated requires opt-in consent and template approval to comply with anti-spam policies.

Chakra Chat handles both types effortlessly, with built-in tools for template creation and user-initiated response automation.

Why Templates are Required?

When Templates Are Required vs When Free-Text Is Allowed

Knowing when to use templates versus free-text keeps your messaging compliant and efficient.

• Templates Required: These pre-approved, structured messages are mandatory for business-initiated outreach or when the 24-hour window is closed. They're used for notifications, promotions, or alerts and must fit WhatsApp's categories (e.g., marketing for offers, utility for order updates). Templates ensure consistency and get reviewed by Meta for quality.
• Free-Text Allowed: Once the 24-hour window is open (via user initiation), you can send unrestricted messages like custom text, images, videos, or buttons. This is ideal for dynamic conversations, such as troubleshooting or personalized advice.

Switching between them? If a window expires mid-conversation, pivot to a template for re-engagement. Always prioritize user experience—overusing templates can feel robotic.

Chakra Chat's intuitive interface lets you switch modes seamlessly, with AI suggestions for templates and free-text responses.

Session Expiry and Re-Engagement

Session Expiry Scenarios and Re-Engagement Rules

Sessions expire to keep interactions fresh, but understanding expiry helps you plan re-engagement without violations.

• Expiry Scenarios: The 24-hour window closes if there's no user response or new initiation within that timeframe. For example, if a user asks a question at 10 AM and you reply, but they don't respond by 10 AM the next day, the session ends. Inactivity from either side triggers this—it's not just about your last message.
• Re-Engagement Rules: To restart after expiry, send a template message (e.g., a utility update like "Your order status has changed—reply for details"). This can prompt a user reply, reopening the window. Remember, re-engagement requires prior opt-in consent, and you can't spam—WhatsApp monitors for high block rates. Avoid re-engaging too frequently to maintain trust.

Common pitfalls include assuming a window is open or using non-templates post-expiry, which can lead to message failures or penalties.

Chakra Chat automates expiry alerts and template-based re-engagement, helping you nurture leads without manual tracking.

Mastering these messaging fundamentals unlocks the full potential of WhatsApp Business API for your business. By leveraging tools like Chakra Chat, you can ensure every interaction is compliant, engaging, and customer-focused. For the latest details, refer to official Meta documentation or consult with a provider.

Message Types

The WhatsApp Business API offers a diverse range of message types to make customer interactions more dynamic and effective, from simple text updates to rich media and interactive elements. This variety allows businesses to provide personalized support, showcase products, and drive actions without overwhelming users. For non-technical users, these features mean easier engagement—think sending a quick image or letting customers select options with a tap. Chakra Chat enhances this by offering user-friendly templates and automation for all message types, ensuring compliance and optimal delivery while integrating seamlessly with your business workflows.

Below, we'll detail the main categories, including their uses and key features.

Text Messages

Text messages are the foundation of WhatsApp communication, ideal for straightforward updates, responses, or instructions. They support up to 4096 characters, including emojis and basic markdown formatting like bold, italic, strikethrough, and monospace. You can also enable URL previews for links to show rich snippets. Text is versatile for both session messaging (within the 24-hour window) and templates (for business-initiated outreach). Keep messages concise to boost readability and engagement—long texts can lead to higher drop-off rates.

With Chakra Chat, crafting and scheduling text messages is intuitive, complete with preview options to see how they'll appear on user devices.

Media messages

** (Images, Video, Audio, Documents, Locations, Contacts)**

Media messages enrich conversations by adding visual or practical elements, making them perfect for tutorials, confirmations, or sharing files. Each type requires uploading the media to WhatsApp's servers (via media ID) or linking via HTTPS URL, and most support optional captions for context.

• Images: Great for product photos or infographics. Supported formats: JPEG, PNG. Captions can be up to 1024 characters.
• Videos: Useful for demos or short clips. Formats: MP4, 3GP (with H.264 video and AAC audio codecs only). Include captions for accessibility.
• Audio: Ideal for voice notes or podcasts. Formats: AAC, M4A, AMR, OGG (Opus codec not supported in OGG). No captions needed, but descriptions help.
• Documents: For sharing PDFs, reports, or contracts. Formats: Any text, PDF, DOC/X, PPT/X, but must have a filename with extension. Captions optional.
• Locations: Share pinpoint addresses for directions. Requires latitude, longitude, and optional name/address—no media file involved.
• Contacts: Send vCard-like info for easy saving. Includes name, phones, emails, organization, etc.—up to multiple contacts per message.

Chakra Chat simplifies media handling with drag-and-drop uploads and automatic format checks, ensuring your messages go out without errors.

Interactive messages

Buttons, Lists, Catalogs, Product Messages

Interactive messages turn passive chats into actionable ones, boosting response rates by up to 30% in some cases. They require a body text (except for single products) and an action section, and are excellent for surveys, menus, or e-commerce.

• Buttons: Add up to 3 reply buttons for quick choices (e.g., "Yes/No/More Info"). Button text limited to 20 characters; supports quick replies only (no URL or phone call buttons in API for now).
• Lists: Create dropdown menus with up to 10 sections, each containing up to 10 rows/items. Each row has an ID, title (24 chars), and optional description (72 chars). Ideal for option selection.
• Catalogs: Showcase your inventory. For multi-product messages, include up to 30 items across sections. Requires a connected Facebook catalog.
• Product Messages: Highlight single or multi-products with images, descriptions, and prices. For product lists, headers are required (text, image, video, or document), and sections can group items.

These are often used in templates for business-initiated messages but can be free-form in open sessions.

Chakra Chat's builder lets you design interactives visually, preview user flows, and track click-throughs for better insights.

Media & Interactive Limits

To prevent delivery issues, WhatsApp enforces strict limits on media and interactives—exceeding them results in failed sends.

• Media Limits:
  • Images: 5 MB max, JPEG/PNG formats.
  • Videos: 16 MB max, MP4/3GP, aspect ratio 1:91:1 to 1:1.91 recommended.
  • Audio: 16 MB max, AAC/M4A/AMR/OGG.
  • Documents: 100 MB max, any format with extension.
  • Locations/Contacts: No size limits, but contacts array up to reasonable counts (e.g., 10+ possible, but keep user-friendly).
• Interactive Limits:
  • Buttons: 3 max per message, 20 chars per button text; body text 1024 chars, footer 60 chars.
  • Lists: 10 sections max, 10 items per section; section title 24 chars (if multiple), row title 24 chars, description 72 chars.
  • Catalogs/Product Messages: 30 products max for multi; catalog ID required, product retailer IDs unique.
  • General: Headers/footers optional but limited (e.g., header text 60 chars); no markdown in buttons.

Always test messages, as regional or device variations can affect rendering. Chakra Chat automatically validates against these limits, alerting you to adjustments needed before sending.

By utilizing these message types strategically, you can elevate your WhatsApp Business API strategy from basic chats to interactive experiences that drive conversions. Chakra Chat empowers you with tools to mix and match them effortlessly, all while maintaining compliance. Check official Meta docs for any updates, as features evolve.

Delivery & Quality

Monitoring delivery and maintaining high-quality interactions are essential for successful campaigns on the WhatsApp Business API. These elements ensure your messages reach customers reliably while avoiding disruptions like throttling or account restrictions. For business owners, this means better ROI on communications and fewer headaches from compliance issues. Chakra Chat streamlines this process with real-time status tracking, automated quality checks, and alerts for potential risks, helping you maintain peak performance without diving into technical details.

In this section, we'll cover delivery statuses, rate limits, quality ratings, and best practices to keep your account in good standing.

Delivery Statuses

WhatsApp provides detailed status updates for each message, allowing you to track performance and troubleshoot issues. These statuses are typically received via webhooks or API responses, giving insights into the message journey from your system to the user's device.

• Sent: The message has been accepted by WhatsApp's servers and is in the process of being dispatched. This is the initial confirmation that your request was valid—no delivery to the user yet.
• Delivered: The message has successfully reached the recipient's device or linked devices. It hasn't been opened, but it's available for viewing.
• Read: The recipient has opened and viewed the message. This requires the user to have read receipts enabled, which isn't always the case.
• Failed: The message couldn't be sent or delivered due to reasons like invalid numbers, network issues, or policy violations. WhatsApp often provides error codes for specifics, such as "user blocked" or "rate limit exceeded."

Chakra Chat's dashboard displays these statuses in an easy-to-read format, with analytics to spot patterns like high failure rates, enabling quick adjustments to your strategy.

Rate Limits and Throttling

Rate limits cap how many messages your business can send to prevent spam and ensure fair usage across the platform. These are tied to your phone number's tier and quality rating, starting low for new accounts and scaling up with good performance.

• Messaging Limits: New businesses begin with a limit of 250 unique customer conversations in a rolling 24-hour period. This can increase to 2,000, 10,000, or unlimited as you prove reliability. Limits apply to business-initiated messages only—user-initiated ones are unrestricted within the 24-hour window.
• Throttling: This is a temporary slowdown when you hit per-second caps, like the default 80 messages per second (mps), which can be raised to 1,000 mps. Exceeding this queues messages, causing delays. Pair rate limits (for initial connections) and request limits (e.g., 10 requests per second) also apply.

In business terms, these prevent overload during peak times, like sales events. Chakra Chat optimizes sending schedules to stay within limits, automatically pacing messages to avoid throttling and maximize reach.

Quality rating

Quality rating(Green/Yellow/Red) and How It Affects Sending

Your phone number's quality rating reflects how users perceive your messages over the past 24 hours, based on factors like blocks, reports, and engagement. It's color-coded for easy monitoring:

• Green (High Quality): Positive user feedback—low blocks and high engagement. Allows full access to your messaging tier limits.
• Yellow (Medium Quality): Moderate issues, like some reports. May reduce your effective limit slightly as a warning.
• Red (Low Quality): High negative signals, such as frequent blocks. This drops your tier (e.g., from unlimited to 1,000 messages/day) and restricts sending until improved.

A low rating directly impacts scalability—if it stays red, you risk further downgrades or bans. Check ratings in the WhatsApp Business Manager. Chakra Chat integrates quality monitoring, sending alerts for yellow ratings so you can act before it turns red.

Maintain High Quality Rating

Keeping a high quality rating involves user-centric practices that build trust and comply with WhatsApp's policies. Bans occur from repeated violations, like spam or ignoring opt-outs, and can be temporary or permanent.

• Secure Explicit Opt-Ins: Always get clear consent before messaging—use methods like website forms or CTWA ads. Inform users about message types to set expectations.
• Honor Opt-Outs Promptly: Include easy unsubscribe options (e.g., "Reply STOP") and stop messaging immediately upon request. Track these to prevent re-engagement errors.
• Send Relevant, Timely Content: Focus on value-driven messages—avoid generic blasts. Personalize based on user interactions to reduce blocks.
• Monitor Metrics: Watch block rates, reports, and engagement. Aim for low negatives (under 0.1% blocks) to stay green.
• Comply with Policies: Stick to allowed businesses, no spam, and respect regional laws. Use official APIs only—third-party tools risk bans.
• Scale Gradually: Increase messaging volumes slowly to build a positive history, unlocking higher tiers.

If rated low, pause campaigns, review feedback, and appeal via WhatsApp support if needed. Chakra Chat's AI-driven tools analyze message performance, suggest improvements, and enforce best practices to keep your rating high and account safe.

By focusing on delivery insights and quality maintenance, you'll enhance customer satisfaction and grow your WhatsApp presence effectively. Chakra Chat makes these fundamentals accessible, turning potential pitfalls into opportunities. For the most current guidelines, visit Meta's official resources.