--- title: "WhatsApp Auto Reply: Away and Greeting Message Examples" description: "How to set up a WhatsApp auto reply, away message and greeting message in the Business app or API, with 30 copy-paste examples in English and Arabic." canonical: "https://omnichannels.ai/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply-away-greeting-messages/" language: "en" updated: "2026-11-03" publisher: "BroadNet Technologies" brand: "OmniChannels.ai" category: "whatsapp" primaryQuery: "whatsapp auto reply" keywords: ["whatsapp away message", "whatsapp greeting message", "whatsapp business auto reply", "whatsapp away message examples", "whatsapp out of office message", "whatsapp quick replies", "whatsapp auto reply api", "رد تلقائي واتساب"] published: "2026-11-03" author: "OmniChannels.ai Editorial Team" reviewer: "BroadNet Messaging Solutions Team" readingMinutes: 10 answer: "In the WhatsApp Business app, open the Tools tab to turn on a greeting message, which is sent when someone writes for the first time or after 14 days of silence, and an away message, which you can schedule outside business hours. Quick replies are manual shortcuts, up to 50. For keyword replies, routing and opening-hours logic at scale, use the WhatsApp Business API with automation. This guide gives 30 examples in English and Arabic." takeaways: ["The Business app has three tools: greeting messages (first message or after 14 days of inactivity), away messages (always, on a custom schedule or outside business hours) and quick replies (manual shortcuts, up to 50).", "Greeting and away messages need the phone to have an active internet connection, and greeting messages are switched off while Meta Business Agent is connected.", "The API has no built-in greeting or away tool; your platform builds those flows with business-hours rules, keyword replies and routing.", "Free-form automated replies are possible only inside the 24-hour customer service window; outside it you need an approved template.", "A good away message states when you will reply, offers one self-service action and never promises what staff cannot deliver."] faq: - q: "How do I set up an away message on WhatsApp Business?" a: "In the WhatsApp Business app, open the Tools tab, tap Away message, turn on Send away message, edit the text, choose a schedule (always, custom schedule, or outside business hours if you set hours in your profile) and choose recipients. Save. Your device needs an active internet connection for the message to send." - q: "When does the WhatsApp greeting message send?" a: "According to WhatsApp's help article, a greeting message is sent when a customer messages you for the first time and again when they message after 14 days of inactivity in that chat. A customer who wrote within the last 14 days does not receive it again. You can limit recipients to everyone, people not in your address book, everyone except selected contacts, or only selected contacts." - q: "How many quick replies can I save?" a: "WhatsApp's help article says the maximum number of stored quick replies is 50. You attach a keyboard shortcut and type a slash in a chat to pull them up. The app also builds default quick replies from your business profile, such as hours and address." - q: "Can I auto reply on the WhatsApp Business API?" a: "Yes, but through automation in your platform rather than app settings. The platform detects a new conversation or business hours, then sends a reply. Inside the 24-hour customer service window the reply can be free-form text. Outside it, only an approved template can start a message. Check Meta's pricing documentation for how service messages are charged." - q: "Why is my WhatsApp away message not sending?" a: "Check that the feature is switched on, the schedule matches the time, your recipient setting is not excluding the customer, and the phone has an active internet connection. For greeting messages, also check that Meta Business Agent is not connected, because greeting messages are disabled while it is. Updating the app and restarting the device can help." - q: "Should an away message be in Arabic or English?" a: "Use the language your customers write in. For bilingual audiences, send one message with both languages, Arabic first if most customers read Arabic. Keep each version short so the whole message fits on one screen, and avoid mixing the two inside one sentence." sources: - title: "How to use greeting messages, WhatsApp Help Center" url: "https://faq.whatsapp.com/501866148528310" - title: "How to use away messages, WhatsApp Help Center" url: "https://faq.whatsapp.com/2565868990219715" - title: "How to use quick replies, WhatsApp Help Center" url: "https://faq.whatsapp.com/1791149784551042" - title: "Onboard WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence), Meta for Developers" url: "https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/embedded-signup/onboarding-business-app-users" - title: "WhatsApp Business Platform pricing, Meta for Developers" url: "https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing" --- # WhatsApp Auto Reply: Away and Greeting Message Examples Canonical: https://omnichannels.ai/blog/whatsapp-auto-reply-away-greeting-messages/ Language: en Publisher: OmniChannels.ai by BroadNet Technologies This guide is for small businesses and support teams that want WhatsApp to reply when nobody is at the phone. You will learn what the WhatsApp Business app can do on its own, where it stops, how automation on the API takes over, and which wording works, with 30 examples in English and Arabic. ## What is a WhatsApp auto reply? A WhatsApp auto reply is a message sent without an agent typing it. In the WhatsApp Business app it comes from a greeting or away message. On the WhatsApp Business API it comes from automation rules in your messaging platform. Auto replies protect the first impression and set expectations, but they do not resolve the request. Pair them with a real follow-up, and track the effect on [first response time](/blog/first-response-time-customer-service/). ## What is the difference between greeting, away and quick replies? Greeting messages welcome new or returning customers, away messages cover time you are unavailable, and quick replies are shortcuts you trigger yourself. Only the first two send automatically. | Tool | Sends automatically | When it fires | Key limits (per WhatsApp help articles) | |---|---|---|---| | Greeting message | Yes | First message from a customer, or a message after 14 days of inactivity | Phone needs internet; disabled while Meta Business Agent is connected | | Away message | Yes | Always, on a custom schedule, or outside business hours | Phone needs internet; "outside business hours" needs hours set in your business profile | | Quick replies | No | You type a slash and pick one | Up to 50 saved; media not supported on Web or Desktop | Recipient options for greeting and away messages are: everyone, everyone not in your address book, everyone except selected contacts, or only selected contacts. ## How do you set up a greeting message? Open the Tools tab in the Business app and follow the greeting steps from WhatsApp's help article. 1. Tap Tools, then Greeting message. 2. Turn on Send greeting message. 3. Tap the message to edit it, then tap OK. 4. Tap Recipients and choose who receives it. 5. Tap Save. If it does not send, check the 14-day rule, your recipient setting, whether Meta Business Agent is connected, and the phone's connection. ## How do you set up an away message? The steps are almost the same, with an extra schedule choice. 1. Tap Tools, then Away message. 2. Turn on Send away message. 3. Edit the message text and tap OK. 4. Tap Schedule and choose Always send, Custom schedule or Outside of business hours. 5. Tap Recipients and choose who receives it. 6. Tap Save. Set your business hours in the business profile first, otherwise the outside-of-hours option is unavailable. Unlike the greeting message, WhatsApp's article does not describe a 14-day limit for away messages. ## When is the Business app not enough? Move to the WhatsApp Business API when you need replies that depend on content, time zones or team availability, or when several agents answer from one number. The app ties settings to one phone; the API connects the number to a platform. | Need | Business app | API with automation | |---|---|---| | Greeting and away text | Yes | Yes, as a rule in your platform | | Keyword replies ("hours", "price") | No | Yes | | Different replies by language, queue or time zone | No | Yes | | Several agents on one number | Limited | Yes, shared inbox | | Route to the right team, then reply | No | Yes | | Scheduled marketing at scale | Limited broadcasts | Yes, approved templates | Meta's coexistence documentation also notes that numbers used on both the app and the API do not carry the app's quick replies, greeting and away messages over to the API side, so plan automation in your platform. We compare the two options in [WhatsApp Business API vs Business app](/blog/whatsapp-business-api-vs-business-app/). ## How does API auto-reply automation work? The platform listens for incoming messages and applies rules, then replies. Typical building blocks are: 1. **New conversation trigger.** Send a greeting with buttons for the top three requests. 2. **Business-hours rule.** Outside opening hours, send the after-hours message with the next reply time and route the chat to the morning queue. 3. **Keyword rule.** "Hours", "location" or "order" triggers the matching answer. 4. **Menu with buttons or lists.** Customers tap instead of typing; see [interactive messages](/blog/whatsapp-interactive-messages-buttons-lists/). 5. **Handover.** After two failed answers or a request for a person, hand over to an agent. See [chatbot to human handoff](/blog/whatsapp-chatbot-human-handoff/). Free-form replies work while the [24-hour customer service window](/blog/whatsapp-24-hour-customer-service-window/) is open, which it is when the customer has just written. Meta's pricing documentation says that from 1 October 2026 each business phone number gets 1,000 free service messages per month, so confirm how replies are charged beyond that in Meta's current rate card. For a no-code build, follow our [WhatsApp chatbot guide](/blog/whatsapp-chatbot-no-code-guide/), or draft messages first with the [auto-reply generator](/tools/whatsapp-auto-reply-generator/). ## What are 30 WhatsApp auto reply examples? Replace the placeholders in curly brackets with your details. Keep each message short enough to read without scrolling. ### Greeting messages (new or returning customers) 1. "Hello and welcome to {business}. How can we help you today?" 2. "Hi, thanks for contacting {business}. Tell us what you need and we will reply as soon as we can." 3. "Welcome back to {business}. Reply with ORDER, BOOKING or OFFERS and we will point you in the right direction." 4. "Hi, you have reached {business}. For quickest help, send your order number and a short description." 5. "مرحباً بكم في {الشركة}. كيف يمكننا مساعدتكم اليوم؟" 6. "أهلاً بكم في {الشركة}. اكتبوا لنا استفساركم وسنرد عليكم في أقرب وقت." ### Away and after-hours messages 7. "Thanks for your message. We are closed now and open again at {time} on {day}. We will reply then." 8. "Hi, our team is offline until {time}. If it is urgent, call {number}. Otherwise leave your message here." 9. "We have your message. Our usual reply time is {X} hours during working hours, {days} from {start} to {end}." 10. "Thank you for writing. We are away until {date}. For urgent matters, contact {name} on {number}." 11. "شكراً لتواصلكم. ساعات العمل لدينا من {البداية} إلى {النهاية}، وسنرد عليكم عند عودتنا." 12. "تم استلام رسالتكم. فريقنا خارج الدوام الآن، وسيتواصل معكم صباح {اليوم}." ### Holiday and Ramadan hours 13. "Our office is closed for {holiday} from {date} to {date}. We reopen on {date} and will reply then." 14. "Ramadan Kareem. During Ramadan we are open from {start} to {end}. We will answer your message within these hours." 15. "Eid Mubarak from all of us at {business}. We are closed {date} to {date} and back on {date}." 16. "رمضان كريم. خلال الشهر الفضيل ساعات العمل من {البداية} إلى {النهاية}. سنرد على رسالتكم خلال هذه الأوقات." 17. "عيد مبارك من فريق {الشركة}. نحن في إجازة من {التاريخ} إلى {التاريخ}، ونعود إليكم في {التاريخ}." For more seasonal ideas see [Ramadan messaging campaigns in the GCC](/blog/ramadan-messaging-campaigns-gcc/). ### After-hours with an expected reply time 18. "We received your message. Messages sent now are answered by {time} the next working day." 19. "Thanks. You are number {n} in our queue. We usually reply within {X} minutes." 20. "Our agents are busy right now. We will reply within {X} minutes. For order status, send your order number." ### FAQ and self-service 21. "Our opening hours are {hours}. Our address is {address}. Reply MAP for the location link." 22. "To track your order, reply with your order number, for example {example}. We will check the status." 23. "To book or change an appointment, tap a button below or send your preferred date." 24. "For returns, please send your order number and a photo of the item. Our team will review it." 25. "Reply 1 for sales, 2 for support, 3 for billing. A team member will join as soon as possible." 26. "للاستفسار عن طلبكم، أرسلوا رقم الطلب وسنوافيكم بالحالة." 27. "للحجز أو تعديل الموعد، اكتبوا التاريخ المناسب لكم وسنؤكد لكم." ### Handover and closing 28. "Thank you. I am passing you to a team member who will continue this chat." 29. "We could not find an answer to that. A colleague will reply during working hours." 30. "Is there anything else we can help with? If not, have a great day." ## What makes a good away message? A good away message tells people when to expect an answer, what to do meanwhile and who to contact if it is urgent. Four rules help: - **Be specific.** "Tomorrow at 9:00" beats "soon". - **Offer one action.** A link, a keyword or a number, not five choices. - **Keep promises small.** Do not claim 24/7 service unless you provide it. - **Match the language.** For Arabic audiences, write in natural Modern Standard Arabic or the local business register; see [Arabic customer messaging best practices](/blog/arabic-customer-messaging-best-practices/). ## What mistakes should you avoid? - **Replying to everyone every time.** An away message on "Always send" interrupts a live chat when staff are online. - **No human follow-up.** An auto reply is not an answer; schedule a person to respond. - **Auto-replying to promotions you did not request.** Marketing messages need opt-in under Meta's rules. - **Hiding that it is automated.** Make it clear when a bot is replying and how to reach a person. - **Forgetting the phone.** Greeting and away messages need an active internet connection on the device. - **Unclear hours.** Update the message when hours change, especially around holidays. ## How OmniChannels.ai helps OmniChannels.ai connects your WhatsApp number to an [Omni Inbox](/platform/unified-inbox/) with agent assignment, tagging and saved replies. [Chatbots and AI agents](/platform/chatbots/) understand English and Arabic, answer common questions, apply business-hours logic and hand over to a human agent. Delivery reports show what was sent. Book a demo and we will map your hours, languages and teams to a working flow.