Step by step
Automatic message on WhatsApp: how to set it up step by step
Quick answer
How do you set up an automatic message on WhatsApp?
To set up an automatic message on WhatsApp, open the WhatsApp Business app and tap the Tools tab. Under Greeting message and Away message, turn on sending, write the text, choose the recipients and save. Quick replies are in the same tab, but they don't send on their own: you pick them in the conversation. The phone needs to be connected to the internet.
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The WhatsApp Business app has three features for replying without typing: the greeting message, the away message and quick replies. See how to turn on each one, with the button names read in WhatsApp's Help Center, the limits and what to check when the message doesn't send.
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Summary in 7 facts
- The WhatsApp Business app has three features for replying without typing: the greeting message, the away message and quick replies.
- To set up an automatic message on WhatsApp, open the WhatsApp Business app and tap the Tools tab.
- Under Greeting message and Away message, turn on sending, write the text, choose the recipients and save.
- Before you turn everything on, see which one answers your problem.
- 01 Greeting: people arriving for the first time Shows that the message arrived and starts the conversation.
- The button names are those in WhatsApp's Help Center for Android, read on October 11, 2026.
- Six steps, read in the article How to use away messages in WhatsApp's Help Center.
By the numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| 03 Replies | 03 Quick replies: what you repeat every day Address, payment methods, confirmation. |
| 14 days | The greeting doesn't repeat every time: it goes to people who write for the first time or come back after 14 days without a conversation. |
| 50 replies | At most 50 quick replies: and photos or videos can't be used in quick replies on WhatsApp Web or the desktop app. |
| 67 businesses | The CertuAI team measured the time customer messages arrive across 67 businesses that answer with CertuAI's AI: 32.5% arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| 122,720 messages | CertuAI customer service data: 67 businesses of various kinds, 122,720 customer messages, from Jul 30 to Sep 30, 2026, measured on Oct 9, 2026. |
What each feature solves
Before you turn everything on, see which one answers your problem.
Greeting: people arriving for the first time
Shows that the message arrived and starts the conversation. Good for businesses that get a lot of new contacts from ads or referrals.
Away: people who write while you are out
Lets people know nobody is there right now and when someone is back. Good for nights, weekends, lunch and vacations.
Quick replies: what you repeat every day
Address, payment methods, confirmation. You save it once and call it up with the slash, without typing it again.
See how it looks in your industry
Each industry gets different questions on WhatsApp. Pick yours to see how CertuAI's AI serves that kind of customer.
How to set up a greeting message on WhatsApp Business
The button names are those in WhatsApp's Help Center for Android, read on October 11, 2026. On iPhone, a name or two changes.
Open the Tools tab
In the WhatsApp Business app, tap Tools and then Greeting message.
Turn on sending
Turn on the Send greeting message option.
Write the text
Tap Greeting message to edit, write your message and confirm.
Choose who receives it
Tap Recipients and choose between Everyone, Everyone except my contacts, Everyone except... and Only send to...
Save and test
Tap Save. Then send a message from another number that has never talked to the business, to see what arrives.
The three automatic message features in WhatsApp Business
Only two send on their own. The third is a shortcut. Source: WhatsApp Help Center.
| Feature | When the message is sent | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting message | On the customer's first message and again after 14 days without a conversation | Tools, Greeting message |
| Away message | Always, during a scheduled period or outside business hours | Tools, Away message |
| Quick replies | Only when you choose, by typing the slash in the conversation | Tools, Quick replies |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Where to find ready-made text for each message
This page shows how to turn them on. What to write is on three other pages. The templates for every moment, from welcome to billing, are in automatic message templates on WhatsApp.
Greeting texts by profession are in welcome message on WhatsApp. Short away texts, with the schedule options explained one by one, are in away message on WhatsApp.
How to add an away message on WhatsApp Business
Six steps, read in the article How to use away messages in WhatsApp's Help Center.
- In the Tools tab, tap Away message.
- Turn on the Send away message option.
- Tap the message to edit the text and confirm.
- Tap Schedule and choose Always send, Custom schedule or Outside of business hours.
- Tap Recipients and choose who receives it.
- Tap Save.
How to create quick replies on WhatsApp Business
Quick replies are shortcuts for the messages you always send. The steps are from the article How to use quick replies.
- In the Tools tab, tap Quick replies.
- Tap the plus sign.
- Tap Message and write the text.
- Tap Shortcut and give the reply a short name.
- Tap Save.
- To use it, open a conversation, type the slash (/) and choose the reply. You can edit the text before sending.
The limits of WhatsApp Business automatic messages
Five limits that WhatsApp's Help Center describes, in the greeting, the away message and quick replies.
- The phone needs internet: the greeting and the away message only send when the device is connected.
- The greeting doesn't repeat every time: it goes to people who write for the first time or come back after 14 days without a conversation. People who talked to you in that period don't receive it again.
- Outside of business hours depends on the profile: that away message option only appears after you register business hours in the business profile.
- At most 50 quick replies: and photos or videos can't be used in quick replies on WhatsApp Web or the desktop app.
- A deleted quick reply doesn't come back: the Help Center recommends keeping a copy of the most important ones outside WhatsApp.
Why WhatsApp's automatic message isn't being sent
Six things to check, in the order they usually fix it.
- The phone has no internet: without a connection, neither the greeting nor the away message sends.
- Meta's AI is on in the app: the greeting is disabled when the Meta Business Agent is connected, and the Help Center warns that the away message can be affected too. The steps to remove it are in how to turn off WhatsApp Business AI.
- The recipients leave the person out: with Only... or Everyone except..., some customers don't receive it. With Everyone except my contacts, people saved in your contacts don't receive it.
- The person talked to you less than 14 days ago: for them, the greeting doesn't send again.
- The feature got stuck: turn off the send option, wait a moment and turn it on again.
- The app is out of date: check that WhatsApp Business is on the latest version.
When the app's automatic message is no longer enough
The greeting and the away message always send the same text, to everyone. They don't read what the customer wrote: someone asking for a price and someone who wants to book a time get the same sentence.
The app also doesn't send messages by date. A reminder the day before, a payment reminder on the due date and a follow-up for people who went quiet depend on someone remembering. When that starts to weigh on you, the way forward is to connect the number to a system. What changes when the one answering is an AI that reads the question is in automatic customer service on WhatsApp with AI.
How many messages arrive outside business hours: CertuAI data
To know how much work the away message will do, a number helps. The CertuAI team measured the time customer messages arrive across 67 businesses that answer with CertuAI's AI: 32.5% arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m..
The number is the arrival time of the messages. How many of them received an automatic message from the app was not measured.
| What was measured | Result |
|---|---|
| Customer messages that arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 32,5% |
| Messages that arrived at night on a weekday, 6pm to midnight | 12,7% |
| Messages that arrived overnight on a weekday, from midnight to 8 a.m. | 3,9% |
| Messages that arrived on Saturday or Sunday | 15,8% |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Source: CertuAI WhatsApp Customer Service Index, Q3 2026. CertuAI customer service data: 67 businesses of various kinds, 122,720 customer messages, from Jul 30 to Sep 30, 2026, measured on Oct 9, 2026. Business hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., in each account's time zone. Test accounts, test contacts and imported history are left out. Redone every quarter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set up an automatic message on WhatsApp?
In the WhatsApp Business app, open the Tools tab. Turn on the Greeting message and the Away message, write the text for each, choose the recipients and tap Save.
How do you turn off WhatsApp's automatic message?
Go back to the Tools tab, tap Greeting message or Away message and turn off the send option.
Is a quick reply an automatic message?
No. A quick reply is a shortcut: you open the conversation, type the slash and choose. Only the greeting and the away message send on their own.
How many quick replies can you save in WhatsApp Business?
At most 50, according to WhatsApp's Help Center.
Does the automatic message work when the phone has no internet?
No. According to WhatsApp's Help Center, the device needs to be connected to the internet to send the greeting and the away message.
Why doesn't the Outside of business hours option appear?
Because it depends on the business hours registered in the business profile. Add the hours to the profile and go back to the Away message.
Does the automatic message answer the customer's question?
No. It sends the same text to everyone. To answer price, hours or an order, you need a person or an AI agent connected to the number.
Where to go next?
When fixed text isn't enough, CertuAI's AI answers the question
On CertuAI, an AI agent reads what the customer wrote and answers with the price, the hours and the rules you taught it, on the number the business already uses. When the topic needs a person, it alerts you.
From US$ 75 per month.
Create my agentIn short
How do you set up an automatic message on WhatsApp? To set up an automatic message on WhatsApp, open the WhatsApp Business app and tap the Tools tab. Under Greeting message and Away message, turn on sending, write the text, choose the recipients and save. Quick replies are in the same tab, but they don't send on their own: you pick them in the conversation. The phone needs to be connected to the internet.
About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent