Quick answer: open the WhatsApp Business app, tap the three dots (Android) or Settings (iPhone), go to Business tools > Away message, switch it on, write your message, choose a schedule and pick who receives it. That is the whole setup. The normal WhatsApp app cannot do this, so you need the free WhatsApp Business app first.
Below is the full walkthrough, plus the two other auto-reply tools most owners miss (greeting messages and quick replies), and an honest look at where auto replies stop being useful.
Step by step: set an away message
- Open WhatsApp Business. On Android tap the three dots at the top right, then Business tools. On iPhone tap Settings, then Business tools.
- Tap Away message.
- Switch on Send away message.
- Tap the message and write your reply. Something simple works: “Thanks for messaging us! We are closed for the day and will reply tomorrow morning from 9am.”
- Choose a schedule:
- Always send: replies at any hour. Useful when you are away for a stretch.
- Custom schedule: you pick the start and end times.
- Outside of business hours: only fires after hours. This one needs your business hours filled in on your profile first.
- Choose recipients: everyone, everyone not in your address book, everyone except selected contacts, or only selected contacts. Most businesses pick everyone, so regulars get the same reply.
Your phone still needs an internet connection for away messages to go out, so do not switch the phone off at night and expect replies to send.
Set a greeting message for first-time customers
In the same Business tools menu there is a Greeting message. It sends automatically when a new customer messages you for the first time, or after 14 days of no conversation. It is your first impression, so say who you are and what to send you:
“Welcome to Aircool Servis! Tell us your area and what unit you have, and we will get back with a price range shortly.”
Quick replies: answer FAQs in two taps
Still under Business tools, Quick replies let you save answers you type every day. In any chat, type / and your saved replies appear. Save your price list answer, your location, your payment details. It does not reply by itself, but it cuts a 2-minute answer to 5 seconds.
Need ready-made wording? We put together 50 auto reply message samples you can copy straight in, including Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese versions.
What auto reply cannot do
Worth being clear about the limits before you rely on it:
- It sends one fixed text. Whether the customer asked your price, your address or whether you can come tomorrow, they get the same sentence.
- It cannot answer follow-ups. After the auto reply, the customer is waiting for a human again.
- It cannot quote, book a slot, or tell BM from English.
- An away message fires once per chat session, not on every message, so a customer who keeps asking gets silence.
For a small volume of messages this is fine. The problem shows up when customers compare you with a shop that answers properly at 11pm: a fixed “we will get back to you” often means they message the next shop on their list. That gap is what an actual AI reply closes; we compared the two honestly in auto reply chatbot vs real AI.
Common questions
Can normal WhatsApp send auto replies?
No. Away messages, greeting messages and quick replies only exist in the free WhatsApp Business app. Your chat history moves over when you switch.
Why is my away message not sending?
The usual causes: the schedule is set to business hours you never filled in, the phone has no internet, or the same customer already got the away message in that conversation window.
Can I set auto reply for WhatsApp groups?
Away messages go to individual chats, not groups.
Want replies that actually answer?
ChatOwl sets up an AI that responds to real questions on your WhatsApp, in BM, English and Chinese, from RM299 a month. We do the setup for you.