WhatsApp Business has two built-in auto-reply tools: Away Messages and Greeting Messages. Here's exactly how to set both up, on Android and iPhone, in under five minutes.
If you run a business on WhatsApp, you don’t have to leave every message on read until you’re free. WhatsApp Business includes a native automatic reply feature (often just called auto-reply): no third-party app, no API, no cost. This guide walks through setting it up properly, plus where it starts to fall short once your message volume grows.
What Counts as “Auto-Reply” on WhatsApp
WhatsApp Business gives you two separate automatic reply tools, and it helps to know the difference before you set anything up:
- Away Message. Sends automatically when someone messages you outside the hours (or during the periods) you’ve defined as unavailable.
- Greeting Message. Sends automatically to a contact messaging you for the first time, or after 14 days of inactivity in that chat.
Both live under the same menu, both are free, and both work the same way on Android and iPhone. Regular WhatsApp (the non-Business app) doesn’t have this feature at all. It’s exclusive to WhatsApp Business.
Before You Start: You Need WhatsApp Business
If you’re using the standard WhatsApp app, auto-reply won’t be available. Download WhatsApp Business from the Play Store or App Store. It’s free, and you can migrate your existing chat history to it during setup.
Setting Up the Away Message
- Open WhatsApp Business and tap the three-dot menu (Android) or Settings (iPhone).
- Go to Business tools.
- Tap Away message.
- Toggle Send away message on.
- Write your message in the text box. For example: “Thanks for reaching out! We’re currently away and will get back to you within 24 hours.” (see 10 WhatsApp Auto-Reply Examples for templates covering other situations)
- Under Schedule, choose one of three options:
- Always send. Replies to every message regardless of time.
- Custom schedule. Set specific days and hours (e.g., outside 9am–6pm on weekdays).
- Outside business hours. Pulls from the business hours you’ve already set in your profile.
- Under Recipients, choose who gets it: everyone, everyone except your contacts, only your contacts, or a custom list.
- Tap the checkmark or Save to confirm.
Setting Up the Greeting Message
- From the same Business tools menu, tap Greeting message.
- Toggle Send greeting message on.
- Write your welcome text. For example: “Hi there! Welcome to [Business Name]. How can we help you today?”
- Under Recipients, pick who should receive it. This works the same way as the away message.
- Save your changes.
The greeting message fires once per contact, then again if that contact goes quiet for 14 days and messages you again.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
- Only text is supported. You can’t attach images, PDFs, or buttons to either message, just plain text (though basic formatting like bold and italics works).
- One message per feature. You can’t set up different away messages for different times of day or different customer segments: it’s one message, one schedule.
- It doesn’t understand the incoming message. Whether a customer asks about pricing, complains, or says hello, they get the identical reply. There’s no way to branch based on what they actually wrote.
- WhatsApp Web and Desktop mirror the setting. Once configured on your phone, the same away and greeting messages apply across every linked device.
Decided either message isn’t right for your business, or just want a break from it? How to Remove Auto-Reply from WhatsApp covers turning off the away and greeting message without losing what you’ve already written.
Where the Native Feature Runs Out of Road
For a solo business or a low-volume shop, the built-in away and greeting messages are enough to stop a customer from being met with silence. But the moment you’re handling enough conversations that customers expect a real answer — not just an acknowledgment — the one-size-fits-all message starts working against you. It can’t answer “what’s your price for the blue one,” qualify a lead, or tell a returning customer anything different from a first-time visitor. (For the full list of what it can’t do, see Why Not to Use WhatsApp’s Auto-Reply.)
That’s the gap The Chat Quotient’s AI Inbound Agent is built to close, for sales teams specifically:
- Replies are grounded in what was actually asked: an answer drafted from your real business details, not one fixed line of text.
- Leads get answered the moment they land, even outside working hours, instead of waiting for someone to open the chat.
- Qualifying questions get asked automatically, so a human picks up the conversation with context already collected, not a cold lead.
- It hands off cleanly. When a conversation needs a human (a final quote, a complaint), the agent steps back and notifies you instead of guessing.
- No Business API required. It runs directly inside the WhatsApp Web tab you already have open.
For the full walkthrough, see How to Set Up AI Auto-Reply on WhatsApp Business.
Your Next Customer Is Messaging You Right Now.
Install The Chat Quotient and turn that chat into a tracked lead, a faster reply, and — eventually — a closed deal. Free to start, right inside the WhatsApp Web you already use.
5.0 rating on the Chrome Web Store · 500+ small businesses already on board 