Customer service window

Every inbound customer message opens a 24-hour window. Inside it, a business can reply with anything — plain text, images, documents, buttons — with no template submitted in advance.

Since 1 October 2026, the first 1,000 delivered service messages per business phone number each month are free. Meta charges for additional replies per message, at the same rate as a utility message. Utility templates sent inside an open window are charged separately too.

The window still matters after the change, because letting it lapse is more expensive again: re-opening a closed conversation needs a paid template, and marketing templates cost roughly seven times a service reply at Indian rates. Routing rules and away-hours automations exist largely to keep conversations inside it. Track billable messages alongside campaign spend.