WhatsApp's Customer Care Window
When a customer messages you on WhatsApp, a 24-Customer Service Window starts. During this window, you can send free-form messages or message templates to the customer without needing an approved template. Meta calls the free-form ones service messages.
From October 1st 2026 service messages are chargeable. Until September 30th 2026 Meta charges nothing for a service message, nor for a utility template delivered inside an open window. From October 1st 2026 it charges for both, and Bird passes that fee through to your wallet. Rates are per country: see the WhatsApp Bird pricing page.
Each of your business phone numbers gets 1,000 free service messages per calendar month. Meta counts that allowance itself and marks every delivery as free or billable, and Bird charges only what Meta reports as billable — so the first 1,000 service messages on a number cost nothing. The allowance does not roll over.
Bird's own processing fee already applied to these messages and does not change.
See Bird Pricing for how WhatsApp passthrough fees are billed.
If more than 24 hours have passed since the customer's last message, you are outside the customer service window and must use an approved message template to contact the customer again, just like you would if you were initiating a brand-new conversation with them.
Benefits for your customers
The 24-hour customer care window for WhatsApp provides a layer of protection for customers by ensuring that businesses respond to their inquiries within a specified time frame, and by protecting them from unwanted or spammy business messages.
This window allows customers to initiate a conversation with a business, ask questions, and get the support they need in a timely manner.
Customer care window in Inbox
We make it easy for agents to work with the Customer Care Window in Inbox by blocking the message composer once 24 hours have passed since the customer's last message.
We also display a countdown timer to inform agents of how much time remains for them to reply.
Learn more about the Customer Care Window in Inbox.