SETUP, EDIT, TURN OFF
How to set auto reply on WhatsApp Business
Auto reply lives in the free WhatsApp Business app under Business tools. Away message covers the hours you are closed, greeting message welcomes first-time customers, and quick replies are saved text you insert yourself. All three take about five minutes to set up.
The short version
- You need the WhatsApp Business app. The standard WhatsApp app has no auto reply at all.
- Away message: Business tools, Away message, turn it on, edit the text, pick a schedule and recipients, save.
- Greeting message: same menu, and it goes to people messaging you for the first time or after a long gap.
- Quick replies are manual. You insert them by typing a forward slash, so they are not automatic replies.
First, check which WhatsApp you are using
Auto reply is a feature of the free WhatsApp Business app, not of the standard WhatsApp app that most people have. If your Settings screen has no Business tools entry, you are in the consumer app and no amount of searching will find the setting.
There is a third case. If your number has been moved onto the WhatsApp Business Platform through a provider, the app-level automations no longer apply to it; automatic replies then come from whatever software runs on the Platform. That is a different setup, and it is the one that can actually answer a question rather than acknowledge it.
Menu names move between app versions and between phones. The paths below are the common ones; if yours reads slightly differently, the WhatsApp Help Centre keeps the current wording.
How to set an away message on Android
The away message is the one people mean by automatic reply on business WhatsApp.
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Open Business tools
In the WhatsApp Business app, tap the three-dot menu, then Settings, then Business tools.
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Tap Away message
Then turn on the switch for sending an away message.
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Write the message
Tap the message text to edit it. Keep it short, say when a human will reply, and answer the most common question up front rather than promising to answer later.
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Choose the schedule
Always send, a custom schedule you set, or outside business hours. Outside business hours only works if your business hours are filled in on your business profile, so set those first.
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Choose the recipients
Everyone, everyone not in your contacts, everyone except a list you pick, or only a list you pick. This setting is the most common reason a working away message appears not to fire.
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Save
Tap Save. The message is live from that moment, on whatever schedule you chose.
Send yourself a test from a number that is not saved in your contacts, outside your opening hours.
How to set an away message on iPhone
Same feature, one less menu level.
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Open Settings
In the WhatsApp Business app, tap Settings at the bottom right.
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Tap Business Tools, then Away Message
Turn on the switch for the away message.
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Edit the text
Tap the message to change it, then confirm.
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Set Schedule and Recipients
Pick Always send, a custom schedule, or outside business hours, then choose who receives it.
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Save
Tap Save to make it live.
How to set a greeting message
The greeting message is the welcome. It goes to someone messaging your business for the first time, and again after a long gap in the conversation.
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Go to Business tools
Settings, then Business tools, then Greeting message.
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Turn on the greeting
Switch on sending a greeting message.
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Write a welcome that saves a round trip
Name the business, say what you need from them to help quickly, and link your prices or booking page. A greeting that only says hello costs the customer a message.
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Choose recipients
Everyone, everyone not in your contacts, or a list you pick.
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Save
There is no schedule for greetings. It fires on first contact, so you cannot test it from a chat that already exists.
How to set up quick replies
Quick replies are the ones people forget, and often the most useful of the three, because a human still chooses when to send them.
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Open Quick replies
Settings, then Business tools, then Quick replies.
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Add a reply
Add a new quick reply, paste the message, and give it a short shortcut such as prices or hours.
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Add keywords
Keywords make the reply easier to find later when you have a dozen of them.
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Use it in a chat
In any conversation, type a forward slash, then the shortcut, then pick it from the list. The text drops in and you can edit it before sending.
Quick replies are manual by design. If you want a reply that arrives without a person, that is the away or greeting message, or the WhatsApp Business Platform.
How to change, turn off or remove an auto reply
| What you want | What to do |
|---|---|
| Edit the wording | Business tools, open the message, tap the text, edit, then Save. Saving is a separate step and is easy to miss. |
| Turn it off temporarily | Business tools, open the message, switch it off. The text is kept for when you switch it back on. |
| Remove it completely | Switch it off and clear the text, so a future switch-on cannot send something out of date. |
| Change when it fires | Open the away message and change the schedule. For outside business hours, edit the hours on your business profile instead. |
| Stop it going to existing customers | Change Recipients to everyone not in your contacts, or to a specific list. |
| Delete a quick reply | Business tools, Quick replies, select it, delete. |
WhatsApp Web, desktop and linked devices
The automations belong to the account and are configured in the WhatsApp Business app. If you work mostly on WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, set them up once on the phone and they keep running while you answer from the bigger screen.
This is also why testing from a linked device can mislead you: you are looking at the same account, so the app may not treat you as a new customer at all.
Before you leave the settings screen
- Business hours are filled in, including the days you are closed.
- The phone's time zone matches the business's.
- You pressed Save, not just Back.
- The away message names a real time when a human replies.
- The greeting asks for what you need to help, not just hello.
- You have tested from a number that has never messaged you, outside opening hours.
When the setting is not the problem
If your away message works perfectly and customers still go elsewhere, the message is doing its job and the job is too small. An away message can say we will get back to you. It cannot say a colour and cut is ninety minutes, Thursday at four is free, shall I book it.
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU START
Common questions
How do I set auto reply on WhatsApp Business?
Open the WhatsApp Business app, go to Settings, then Business tools, then Away message. Turn it on, edit the text, choose a schedule and the recipients, and press Save. The greeting message and quick replies are in the same Business tools menu.
How do I set an automatic reply on WhatsApp without the Business app?
You cannot. The standard WhatsApp app has no auto reply feature. The usual route is to move to the free WhatsApp Business app on the same number, backing up your chats first and following WhatsApp's own migration steps.
How do I turn off auto reply on WhatsApp Business?
Go to Settings, Business tools, and open the away or greeting message, then switch it off. The text stays saved. If you want it gone for good, clear the text as well so an accidental switch-on cannot send something outdated.
Can I set different auto replies for different customers?
Only roughly. The Recipients setting lets you include or exclude specific people or everyone not in your contacts, but the message itself is the same text for everyone who receives it. Replies that differ by what was asked need the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Does the away message work when my phone is off?
The automations belong to your WhatsApp Business account rather than to a screen you have open, which is why they keep working while you sleep. If yours has stopped after a phone change, reinstall or restore, open Business tools and confirm the settings are still there and still switched on.
KEEP READING
Where this goes next
Rest of the WhatsApp auto reply guide
THE NEXT MESSAGE CAN BE HERS
An auto reply buys time. This buys the booking.
Send Elily your website link on WhatsApp. She answers the question the customer actually asked, checks the calendar and books it, on your own business number.
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