How to Set Up an Away Message on WhatsApp Business
A step-by-step guide to turning on the WhatsApp Business away message, scheduling it, and writing one that keeps customers from walking to a competitor.
To set up an away message on WhatsApp Business, open the app, tap Settings, then Business tools, then Away message. Turn on Send away message, type your text, and choose a schedule such as Outside of business hours. The app then replies automatically whenever someone contacts you while you are away, so no first message goes unanswered overnight or on a weekend.
That is the whole mechanic. The part that actually decides whether it works is the wording and the schedule, and that is where most businesses get it wrong. Below is the exact setup, then the rules for writing one people trust.
Step by step: turning on the away message
- Open Settings. In the WhatsApp Business app, tap the three dots or the gear icon, then Settings, then Business tools.
- Tap Away message. Toggle Send away message on.
- Write the message. Tap the text and paste one you like. Keep it to two or three sentences.
- Set the schedule. You get three options: Always send, Custom schedule, and Outside of business hours. Most businesses want the last one so the away message only fires when you are genuinely closed. Custom schedule lets you set exact windows, which is useful if your hours change day to day.
- Choose recipients. Send to everyone, only to people not in your address book, or everyone except specific contacts. Sending to first-time contacts only keeps regulars from getting reminded you are out every time.
Save, and you are done. Send a test message from another phone outside your set hours to confirm it fires.
What to actually write
A good away message does three jobs in a few seconds of reading: it confirms the message was received, it says exactly when you will reply, and it offers a way to self-serve in the meantime. Here is a template that covers all three:
Thanks for reaching out to [Business]. We are closed right now but we have your message. Our team replies Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM ET, and we will get back to you first thing. For quick answers, check our help page at [link].
Compare that to the version most businesses ship: "Thanks, we will get back to you soon." Soon is not a promise, it is a shrug. A customer with a question at 9 PM who reads "soon" has no reason not to message a competitor too. A customer who reads "by 10 AM ET tomorrow" will usually wait. You can find dozens of ready samples for after-hours, holidays, and support in our WhatsApp away message examples library.
Away message vs. greeting message
WhatsApp Business gives you two automatic messages and they are easy to mix up. A greeting message is sent the first time a person contacts you, or after 14 days of silence, and it welcomes them. An away message is sent when you are unavailable. Greetings set the tone; away messages set an expectation. Many businesses run both: a warm hello when someone new writes in, and an honest "we are closed until 9 AM" when it is late. Both are configured in the same Business tools menu.
Five rules for an away message that works
- Name a real time. Give a day and an hour, not "soon."
- Confirm receipt. The first line should tell them the message landed. That alone stops the "hello? anyone there?" follow-ups.
- Offer an exit. A help page, an FAQ, or a tracking link means some people solve it themselves and never wait for you.
- Sound human. Short and warm beats a corporate paragraph on a phone screen.
- Only when away. Use the schedule so a live agent never sends an away message on top of a real conversation.
Where the free app runs out
The built-in away message is one static line on a schedule. That is enough for a solo operator. It falls short the moment you need more: a different reply depending on what the customer typed, routing to sales versus support, several agents answering the same number, or an auto-reply that fires as part of a campaign. None of that is possible in the free app, because it sends one message to everyone.
To do those things you move to the official WhatsApp Cloud API, which keeps the exact same wording but adds the logic on top. On a platform built on the API you can set keyword-based replies, greet new contacts automatically, and hand a conversation to the right person. If your inbound WhatsApp messages are really sales inquiries that need qualifying and booking, that is the same problem a client intake automation tool solves for web and phone leads, and the two workflows often sit side by side. Our guide to WhatsApp auto-reply walks through the keyword-trigger setup.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my WhatsApp away message not working?
The three usual causes: the schedule is set to business hours you are actually inside, the phone lost its connection so the app cannot send, or you set it to send only to contacts not in your address book and you are testing from a saved number. Check the schedule first, then test from an unsaved number while you are outside your set hours.
Can I set different away messages for different times?
Not in the free app. It stores one away message and one schedule. To send a different message for, say, weekends versus weeknights, or a holiday versus a normal evening, you need the Cloud API, which supports multiple triggers and messages.
Does an away message cost anything?
No. Away and greeting messages in the free WhatsApp Business app are free. On the Cloud API, an auto-reply sent in response to an incoming message lands inside the free 24-hour customer service window, so it also costs nothing.
Once you have your away message live, the natural next step is greeting new contacts and replying by keyword. Start with the example library, then automate the rest.