# WhatsApp AI agent for business: the 24-hour window, templates and cost components

- URL: https://plandora.com/blog/whatsapp-ai-agent-guide/
- Authors: Sophia Bennett (Marketing)
- Published: 2026-10-22
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Facts checked: 2026-10-22
- Category: Growth

> Third-party WhatsApp AI agents, Plandora included, connect through the WhatsApp Business Platform; Meta's own agent is set up in the Business app in select markets. An agent can send free-form replies for 24 hours after a customer's last message, then only a Meta-approved template can reach them. Since 1 October 2026 Meta charges for service replies beyond 1,000 a month per business number.

## Key takeaways

- The 24-hour window opens when the customer writes; outside it, only an approved template can be sent.
- Meta's developer pricing page confirms that service messages beyond 1,000 a month per number have been chargeable since 1 October 2026; some older Meta pages still say otherwise.
- Meta bills message charges to your own Meta payment method; AI platform costs, such as Plandora's AI credits, are separate.
- Meta's AI-provider clause targets companies whose AI is the product, but Meta decides, so ask your provider how it reads the clause.
- Template approval is not consent: keep a record of who opted in, and for which kinds of message.

Third-party WhatsApp AI agents, Plandora included, connect through the WhatsApp Business Platform. An agent can reply freely for 24 hours after a customer's last message; after that, only a Meta-approved template can reach it. Since 1 October 2026, Meta charges for replies beyond 1,000 a month per number. Opt-in and AI-provider terms apply too.

The rules below are Meta's published terms as of 22 October 2026. They change, and this is not legal advice, so check the live pages before you sign anything.

## Which WhatsApp product can run an AI agent?

Two routes exist, depending on whose agent you use. Third-party agents connect through the WhatsApp Business Platform. Meta's [comparison page](https://whatsappbusiness.com/resources/resource-library/whatsapp-vs-whatsapp-business/) describes the Business app as "ideal for small businesses" with one phone number, and the Platform as the route for medium and enterprise businesses, where "businesses can connect thousands of agents and bots".

Meta also offers its own agent, Meta Business Agent, which you set up from Tools in the WhatsApp Business app. [Meta says](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/business-app-ai-agent/) it is available to "eligible businesses in select markets". It is a separate Meta product with its own pricing category, and the rest of this guide covers connecting a third-party agent.

You may not need developers of your own. Meta's [Platform page](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/business-platform/) offers direct integration for teams with developers, or a partner whose embedded signup handles the technical setup with "little or no code required". From the business's side, Plandora's setup looks like the partner route: you sign in to Meta in a pop-up and choose or add your number.

## What is the 24-hour customer service window?

The customer service window is a timer that opens when the customer writes. Meta's [send-messages guide](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messages/send-messages) defines it as "a 24-hour timer called a customer service window" that starts when a WhatsApp user messages or calls the business. The timer resets to 24 hours each time the customer writes again, and Plandora's documentation likewise counts it from the customer's last message.

While it's open you can send free-form messages, which Meta calls service messages. Meta's [pricing page](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing) says these "can be powered by a 3rd-party AI solution or people (like customer service representatives)". The send-messages guide adds that when the window closes, "you can only send pre-approved template messages".

For an AI agent that's a hard edge. While the window is open it can carry the thread. Once the window closes you can send an approved template, but free-form AI replies resume only when the customer writes again, which opens a fresh 24-hour window.

Replying to a click-to-WhatsApp ad enquiry can also open a separate free entry point window with its own charging rules. Meta's pages disagree on its length: up to 7 days on the developer pricing page, 72 hours on the rate-card page. Plan around the shorter 72 hours until they agree.

Meta's [WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy](https://whatsappbusiness.com/policy/), last updated 23 September 2026, permits automation in the window: "You may use automation when responding during the 24-hour window". It adds that you "must also have available prompt, clear, and direct escalation paths". The policy gives in-chat human agent transfer, phone, email, web support, in-store visits and a support form as examples and sets no response time, so an unmonitored route is a weak reading of "prompt". [Human handoff for AI conversations](/blog/human-handoff-for-ai-conversations) covers how to design that route.

The same policy limits what an agent may ask for. It says not to share or ask people to share "full length individual payment card numbers, financial account numbers, personal ID card numbers, or other sensitive identifiers". It also bars using WhatsApp for telemedicine, or to send or request health information, where applicable regulations prohibit that on systems lacking heightened safeguards. A person taking over does not lift these limits. Set Playbook Boundaries to match, and take qualified advice before enabling a health or financial use case.

## What are message templates, and who approves them?

Templates are pre-written messages that Meta reviews before you can send them. They are "the only type of message that can be sent to WhatsApp users outside of a customer service window", according to Meta's [template documentation](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/overview). Each one carries a category, defined in Meta's [categorisation guide](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-categorization).

| Category | What Meta says it is for | For example |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Goals from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers | Announcing an offer to people who agreed to hear about offers |
| Utility | Following up on user actions or requests | Confirming a booking the customer just made |
| Authentication | Verifying a user's identity | Sending a one-time login code |

Review is automatic, on creation and after every edit, and Meta says it can take up to 24 hours. Only an Approved template can be sent. A template can be rejected, or paused after recurring negative feedback or low read rates. Category also sets the price, because Meta rates each category separately by market. If Meta moves a utility template to marketing, normally after a day's notice, the template stays approved but is charged in the marketing category from then on. Check both categories for your market on the rate card before relying on a utility template, and make sure the mailbox of the account's full-control users is watched, since Meta emails them about category changes.

In Plandora you write a template once under Audience › Templates, which keeps a version per channel. The WhatsApp version goes to Meta for review. Wait for Approved before relying on it; an approved version keeps sending while an edit is in review.

## Do customers have to opt in?

Meta's policy says so for outreach. A business may message someone only after receiving "opt-in permission from the recipient confirming that they wish to receive subsequent messages". It adds that the business is "solely responsible for determining the method of opt-in" and for complying with applicable law, and it must respect requests to block or opt out.

Meta's best practice is to collect opt-in by message category, so a customer who agreed to booking reminders hasn't agreed to promotions. Keep a record of when and how each person opted in. Template approval doesn't replace that permission. Privacy law adds its own rules: see [data protection for AI chat in Southeast Asia](/blog/data-protection-for-ai-chat-in-southeast-asia).

## How does WhatsApp pricing work in 2026?

Per message. Conversation-based pricing "was replaced with per-message pricing on July 1, 2025", according to Meta's [pricing page](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing). Businesses are charged only for delivered messages, at a rate set by category and the recipient's country calling code.

Meta's page confirms that service messages became chargeable on 1 October 2026: Meta resumed charging for messages that were previously free. Service messages are chargeable from the 1,001st delivered one each month, because each business phone number gets "one free tier of 1,000 delivered service messages" every month. Utility templates sent inside an open window, free since 1 July 2025, are chargeable too. A business with no payment method on file gets service messages delivered within the free tier but not after it. Meta's [changelog](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/changelog) adds that eligible governments and non-profits keep free service messages beyond the monthly tier through 31 December 2027.

Not every Meta page has caught up. On 22 October 2026, the [comparison page](https://whatsappbusiness.com/resources/resource-library/whatsapp-vs-whatsapp-business/) still described a charge per conversation with the first 1,000 service conversations free, and the rate-card page still said Meta does not charge for service messages. This guide follows the developer pricing page, which says it reflects updates effective 1 October 2026.

Ordinary replies from a third-party AI agent count as service messages. Meta's own AI product, Meta Business Agent, is a separate category.

Rates depend on the market. At the time of writing, Meta's page lists Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore as standalone rate-card markets and groups Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines under Rest of Asia Pacific. Meta may update pricing only on the first day of each quarter, so the next possible change is 1 January 2027. This article quotes no rates; choose a market, currency and category on Meta's [rate card](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/platform-pricing/), and check the figures against the rate cards downloadable from the developer pricing page.

| Cost component | Who charges | Standard charge, before exemptions |
|---|---|---|
| Service replies (free-form, from people or AI) | Meta | Delivered messages beyond 1,000 per business number each month. Eligible governments and non-profits are exempt through 2027 |
| Template messages (marketing, utility, authentication) | Meta | Each delivered message, by category and market. Not charged while a free entry point window is open. Utility inside an open service window has been chargeable since 1 October 2026 |
| Billing account | Meta, to your own payment method | Needed, or service replies stop after the free tier |
| AI agent platform | The platform you choose | For Plandora: plan-dependent. AI work such as the Mind's replies uses AI credits; messages you type yourself do not |
| Partners and other tools | Ask each one | Is there a markup on Meta's charges, a setup or seat fee, or a minimum commitment? Is WhatsApp access included in the subscription? |

Plandora's documentation says Meta bills chargeable messages to your own Meta payment method and that Usage shows estimates; your Meta bill is authoritative. Meta charges for delivering a message whether a person or the Mind wrote it. Plandora's AI credits cover AI work, such as the Mind's replies and drafts, and its documentation lists provider fees as separate. If the credit pool runs out, AI replies pause and those conversations wait in Inbox for a person.

## Does Meta allow AI agents on WhatsApp?

Meta's terms target AI companies whose AI is the product, but the wording leaves Meta the final say. Section 4.7 of the [Meta Terms for WhatsApp Business Platform](https://www.facebook.com/legal/Meta-Terms-for-WhatsApp-Business-Platform), last modified 23 September 2026, covers providers and developers of AI or machine learning technologies, "as determined by Meta in its sole discretion". They may not use the Platform, directly or indirectly, when their technology is "the primary (rather than incidental or ancillary) functionality" being offered. Certain countries are excepted, listed on a developer page.

[TechCrunch reported](https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/18/whatssapp-changes-its-terms-to-bar-general-purpose-chatbots-from-its-platform/) on 18 October 2025, ahead of the 15 January 2026 effective date, that Meta had told it the change doesn't affect businesses using AI to serve customers on WhatsApp. That is Meta's statement to a reporter, not wording in the terms, which leave the determination to Meta. Meta's [AI provider pricing page](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/ai-providers) adds that, since 16 February 2026, Meta charges AI Providers for service messages in countries where it is legally required to support their use. The page says this does not change how Meta charges other businesses.

If your AI platform is itself an AI provider acting as your solution provider, section 4.7 also bars using WhatsApp data to develop or improve AI models, except fine-tuning a model for your exclusive use. Ask any vendor, Plandora included, in writing how it reads the clause. An agent answering questions about your own business from knowledge you approved looks like customer service, but Meta decides how its terms apply.

## Is WhatsApp where your customers are?

No regional figure for Southeast Asia from a primary source could be confirmed, so none is printed. The closest dated measure covers one country: in Pew's spring 2023 face-to-face survey, 75% of adults in Indonesia said they ever use WhatsApp ([questionnaire, Q58d](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SR_24.03.22_platforms_topline.pdf)). That is one country in one year, not a regional estimate. Across the eight middle-income countries in the same [survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/22/whatsapp-and-facebook-dominate-the-social-media-landscape-in-middle-income-nations/), the median was 73%.

Two global figures give scale, and neither is regional:

- DataReportal's [Digital 2027 Global Overview](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2027-global-overview-report), published on 21 October 2026, ranks WhatsApp first for monthly active users in Similarweb's August 2026 Android and iOS app data (an index of native mobile apps worldwide, excluding China), and fourth, at 54.9%, for self-reported past-month use among online adults aged 16 and over in GWI's survey.
- Meta [reported](https://about.fb.com/news/2026/06/meta-business-agent/) on 3 June 2026 that, across WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, active threads with businesses top one billion every day.

DataReportal's [Digital 2026 report for Malaysia](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-malaysia) and its reports for Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines carry no WhatsApp figure, and Pew's [spring 2026 survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/10/01/social-media-platform-use-around-the-world/) of those five markets did not ask about it.

To test your own audience, go through your last month of enquiries, tally the channel each one arrived on, and note who asked to continue on WhatsApp.

## What does Plandora's WhatsApp channel do?

It connects your business number to your Digital Mind. Connected messaging channels need a paid plan or an organisation contract that includes them, and your plan limits how many you can connect. The [channels page](/channels) lists the supported channels.

Setup is in Settings › Channels › WhatsApp. Select Continue with WhatsApp, choose or add the number in Meta's pop-up, enter its six-digit PIN if it uses two-step verification, and wait for the connection checks.

- **Auto-reply starts off.** Until you turn it on, customer messages land in Audience › Inbox for you to answer.
- **With Auto-reply on,** a message inside the 24-hour window gets a reply from your Mind, using its Playbook and knowledge.
- **A person can step in.** Sending a reply yourself pauses your Mind on that conversation; Release to AI hands it back.
- **Outside the window,** a typed reply can't restart the conversation. Use the WhatsApp template button in Inbox, or a Broadcast, whose WhatsApp version is skipped until Meta approves it.

Inbox, Templates and Broadcasts can depend on your plan or rollout. A Mind isn't the human expert and shouldn't be presented as one. AI replies can be wrong, so keep a person involved in financial, legal, medical and other consequential decisions. [Speed to lead with a Digital Mind](/blog/speed-to-lead-with-a-digital-mind) covers why first-reply time matters.

## What should you check before you launch?

1. Confirm you're connecting through the Platform, and ask your provider in writing how it reads section 4.7.
2. Add a payment method to your Meta account before service replies pass the free tier.
3. Record how each customer opted in and for which kinds of message.
4. Set the Playbook Boundaries for what the Mind must not answer or ask for, including card, account and ID numbers. A handoff request notifies your team, but the Mind keeps replying until someone takes over, so decide who is notified and how fast a person steps in.
5. Offer a second route to a person, such as email or a phone number, and keep it monitored.
6. Submit templates early and wait for Approved on each. Use utility only for follow-ups to something the customer asked for.
7. Connect the number with Auto-reply off. Test a message inside the window, then one after 24 hours.
8. Turn Auto-reply on. Start each day in Inbox with the Unreplied filter, and compare Usage estimates with your Meta bill.
9. Re-read Meta's pricing page and rate card at the start of each quarter, when rates can change.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can an AI agent answer WhatsApp messages for your business?

Yes. Third-party agents connect through the WhatsApp Business Platform, where Meta's pricing page says free-form service messages can be powered by a third-party AI solution or by people. Meta's messaging policy permits automation inside the 24-hour window if escalation paths exist. Its AI-provider clause targets companies whose AI is the product; confirm how your provider reads it. Meta also offers its own agent in the Business app in select markets.

### What happens when the 24-hour window closes?

You can no longer send free-form replies. Only a template Meta has approved can reach the customer, and templates are priced by category and recipient market. Meta says the window opens and resets with each customer message, so a template alone does not reopen it; when the customer writes, the AI agent can reply freely again.

### Are WhatsApp service messages free in 2026?

Partly. Meta's pricing page says each business phone number has a free tier of 1,000 delivered service messages a month. From the 1,001st, Meta charges per delivered message, a change that took effect on 1 October 2026. Utility templates sent inside an open window are chargeable from the same date. Eligible governments and non-profits are exempt through 2027.

### Do customers have to opt in before you message them?

Meta's messaging policy says a business needs opt-in permission from the recipient confirming they want to receive subsequent messages. The business chooses the method and is responsible for complying with applicable law. Template approval by Meta does not replace that permission, and Meta advises collecting opt-in by message category.

### Does Meta ban chatbots on WhatsApp?

Not business chatbots as such. Section 4.7 of Meta's terms, last modified 23 September 2026, prohibits AI providers from using the Platform when their AI is the primary functionality offered. TechCrunch reported in October 2025 that Meta said businesses using AI to serve customers are unaffected, but the terms leave the determination to Meta.

### Who bills for WhatsApp messages when you use Plandora?

Plandora's documentation says Meta bills chargeable messages to your own Meta payment method, that Usage shows estimates, and that your Meta bill is authoritative. AI work such as the Mind's replies uses Plandora AI credits, while messages you type yourself do not. Connected messaging channels need a paid plan or an organisation contract that includes them, so what you pay Plandora depends on your plan.

## Sources

- [WhatsApp Business Platform pricing](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing), Meta for Developers, accessed 2026-10-22
- [AI Providers pricing policy](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/ai-providers), Meta for Developers, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Meta Terms for WhatsApp Business Platform (section 4.7 AI Providers)](https://www.facebook.com/legal/Meta-Terms-for-WhatsApp-Business-Platform), Meta, accessed 2026-10-22
- [WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy](https://whatsappbusiness.com/policy/), WhatsApp Business, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Send messages: customer service window and templates](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/messages/send-messages), Meta for Developers, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Template fundamentals](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/overview), Meta for Developers, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Template categorization](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-categorization), Meta for Developers, accessed 2026-10-22
- [The Difference Between WhatsApp and WhatsApp for Business](https://whatsappbusiness.com/resources/resource-library/whatsapp-vs-whatsapp-business/), WhatsApp Business, accessed 2026-10-22
- [WhatsApp Business Platform](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/business-platform/), WhatsApp Business, accessed 2026-10-22
- [WhatsApp changelog](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/changelog), Meta for Developers, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Meta Business Agent for the WhatsApp Business app](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/business-app-ai-agent/), WhatsApp Business, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Spring 2023 Global Attitudes Survey topline questionnaire (Q58d)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/SR_24.03.22_platforms_topline.pdf), Pew Research Center, accessed 2026-10-22
- [WhatsApp Business Platform rate card](https://whatsappbusiness.com/products/platform-pricing/), WhatsApp Business, accessed 2026-10-22
- [WhatsApp changes its terms to bar general-purpose chatbots from its platform](https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/18/whatssapp-changes-its-terms-to-bar-general-purpose-chatbots-from-its-platform/), TechCrunch, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Digital 2026: Malaysia](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-malaysia), DataReportal, accessed 2026-10-22
- [What Social Media Platforms Do People Use Around the World?](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2026/10/01/social-media-platform-use-around-the-world/), Pew Research Center, accessed 2026-10-22
- [WhatsApp and Facebook dominate the social media landscape in middle-income nations](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/22/whatsapp-and-facebook-dominate-the-social-media-landscape-in-middle-income-nations/), Pew Research Center, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Digital 2027 Global Overview Report](https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2027-global-overview-report), DataReportal, accessed 2026-10-22
- [Be there for every customer with Meta Business Agent](https://about.fb.com/news/2026/06/meta-business-agent/), Meta, accessed 2026-10-22