# Manage WhatsApp conversations

Open [**Conversations**](https://bird.com/dashboard/w/whatsapp/conversations) to read and reply to WhatsApp messages with your team. Each conversation brings the exchange with a customer into one thread, including replies from a [WhatsApp agent](/docs/guides/whatsapp/agents).

Before you start, [connect a WhatsApp number](/docs/guides/whatsapp/numbers/connect). You need permission to manage WhatsApp to enable conversations or take over from an AI agent. Replying and changing assignments or labels require permission to send WhatsApp messages.

## Enable conversations for your number

1. Open **WhatsApp** > [**Numbers & profiles**](https://bird.com/dashboard/w/whatsapp/numbers) and select your number.
2. Open **Settings** and turn on **Enable conversations**. The change saves automatically.
3. Have a customer message the number, then open **Conversations** to find the exchange.

This setting starts saving new messages in the inbox. Earlier messages are not added. Enabling a [WhatsApp agent](/docs/guides/whatsapp/agents) also turns conversations on for its number.

To stop using the inbox for a number, turn off **Enable conversations**. Existing conversations stay available to read, but new messages no longer appear and you cannot reply from the inbox.

![The Settings tab for a WhatsApp number, with the Enable conversations switch](/images/docs/dashboard-whatsapp-conversations-settings.png)

## Find the conversation

1. Open **WhatsApp** > **Conversations** in the dashboard.
2. Choose a view: **Mine** shows conversations assigned to you, **Unassigned** shows conversations waiting for a teammate, and **With agent** shows those the AI agent controls. Use **All** to browse across assignees.
3. Narrow the list with the **Number**, **Assignee**, or **Label** filters. For example, select your support number and a `booking` label to find booking questions.
4. Select a conversation to open its messages and details.

**Search this page…** finds matching contact names, phone numbers, usernames, business-scoped IDs, and labels on the current page. Use the filters and pagination to find conversations beyond that page; search does not look through message text.

![WhatsApp Conversations in the Bird dashboard, with conversation views, search, filters, labels, and assignees](/images/docs/dashboard-whatsapp-conversations.png)

## Reply to the customer

Read the thread before replying, especially when another teammate or the AI agent has already helped. In **Conversation details**, check **Assignee** and **Service window**. On a smaller screen, open the **Conversation details** button to see these fields.

1. Under **Assignee**, choose **You** to take responsibility, or choose a teammate. If **AI agent** is selected, choosing a person also takes control from the agent.
2. Enter your response in **Type a message**. To include a photo, video, document, or audio file, select **Attach** and choose the media type.
3. To reply to a particular message, open its **Message actions** menu and select **Quote**. The quoted message appears above your draft; **Cancel quote** removes the reference.
4. Select **Send**, or press **Enter**. Use **Shift+Enter** for a new line. Your reply appears in the thread, where you can follow its delivery status.

The service window shows whether you can send a free-form reply and how much time remains. When it closes, the composer displays **Reply when the contact sends a new message**. Wait for a new customer message, or use an [approved template](/docs/guides/whatsapp/templates) to restart an eligible exchange. The conversation composer sends service messages; send templates through the template sending workflow.

![A WhatsApp conversation with the message thread, reply composer, assignee, service window, and labels](/images/docs/dashboard-whatsapp-conversation.png)

## Keep the team's work organized

Use **Labels** in **Conversation details** to describe the work, such as `booking`, `accessibility`, or `follow-up`. Enter a label in **Add label** to save it, and remove labels when they no longer apply. Labels appear in the conversation list and can be used as a filter.

Choose a teammate under **Assignee** when their help is needed. Choose **Unassigned** to return the conversation to the team's queue. An assignment records who is responsible for the conversation; it does not send a message to the customer.

If an AI agent is enabled on the number, choose **AI agent** to hand the conversation back when your part is complete. The agent can then respond again. This option requires WhatsApp management permission and is available for individual customer conversations.

## Troubleshoot a conversation

- **The conversation is missing:** switch to **All**, clear filters and search, and check that **Enable conversations** was on when the number received the message.
- **You cannot reply:** check the service window, your WhatsApp permissions, and the number's **Enable conversations** setting. If sending fails, read the error beneath the composer before retrying.
- **You cannot select the AI agent:** confirm the number has an enabled agent and that you have permission to manage WhatsApp.
- **The agent has stopped replying after a teammate answered:** select **AI agent** under **Assignee** to return control when appropriate. Finishing a reply does not hand control back automatically.

## Next steps

- [Set up a WhatsApp agent](/docs/guides/whatsapp/agents).
- [Use WhatsApp templates](/docs/guides/whatsapp/templates).
- [Inspect messages in the WhatsApp log](/docs/guides/whatsapp/message-log).

## Related resources

- [Connecting WhatsApp to Bird: from buying a number to a live channel](/learn/whatsapp/connecting-whatsapp-to-bird) (video)
- [What is the 24-hour customer service window on WhatsApp?](/explained/whatsapp/what-is-the-24-hour-customer-service-window) (answer)
- [WhatsApp message builder](/tools/whatsapp-message-builder) (tool)
- [WhatsApp](/whatsapp-api) (product)

[Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=whatsapp)