Understanding WhatsApp messaging rules

If you've connected WhatsApp to your Dromlik phone system, you may have noticed something that looks like a bug at first but is actually how WhatsApp works for every business, everywhere: you can freely reply to customers who message you, but you can't always message someone first.

This page explains why, and what it means for day-to-day use — including sending images, files, and other media.

The short version

• If a customer messages you, you have 24 hours to reply freely — text, images, files, anything.
• If more than 24 hours pass with no new message from the customer, you can no longer send a free-form message. You have to use a pre-approved message template instead.
• You can never message someone who has never contacted you before, unless it's through an approved template.

The 24-hour conversation window

Every time a customer sends your business a WhatsApp message, a 24-hour window opens. While that window is open, you can:

• Send plain text messages
• Send images, videos, voice notes, and documents
• Have your team reply manually or let an automated flow respond
• Message back and forth as many times as needed, with no restrictions

Each new message from the customer resets the 24-hour timer. So an active, ongoing conversation never actually "expires" — the clock only starts counting down once the customer goes quiet.

Example

What happens after the window closes

Once 24 hours pass without a new message from the customer, you can no longer send a normal message. To reach that customer again, you need to send a pre-approved message template — a message format submitted to WhatsApp in advance and approved before it can be used.

Templates are the standard way businesses send things like:

• Appointment reminders
• Order or delivery updates
• Payment or renewal reminders
• Follow-ups after a support ticket
• Promotional offers (only to customers who've opted in)

Once the customer replies to a template message, a new 24-hour window opens and you're back to messaging freely.

Starting a conversation for the first time

If someone has never messaged your business before, you cannot send them a first message like "Hi, would you like to buy our product?" — even once. WhatsApp requires the very first message to a new contact to be an approved template. This is a spam-prevention rule that applies to every business using WhatsApp's official platform, not just Dromlik customers.

Ways to encourage customers to message you first (which then opens the window and removes all restrictions):

• A "Chat with us on WhatsApp" link or QR code on your website, invoices, or storefront
• A WhatsApp click-to-chat button in email signatures or ads
• Prompting customers during a phone call or in-store visit to send a quick WhatsApp message

Sending images, files, and other media

This is where things get commonly misunderstood, because the type of message and the timing rule are two separate things.

While the 24-hour window is open

You can send and receive:

• Images (JPEG, PNG)
• Videos
• Voice notes and audio files
• Documents (PDF, Word, Excel, etc.)
• Location pins
• Contact cards

No template is required for any of these — if the customer messaged you within the last 24 hours, you can send a brochure, a photo, or an invoice exactly like a normal chat.

Outside the 24-hour window

Free-form media isn't allowed here either — the same rule that blocks a plain text message also blocks an image or a PDF. To send media outside the window, it has to be attached to an approved template (for example, a template with an image header showing a product photo, followed by a text body).

What customers can send you

Customers can send your business images, videos, PDFs, voice notes, contact cards, and locations at any time — there's no restriction on what a customer initiates. Whether every one of those file types displays correctly inside your Dromlik dashboard depends on file size and format; if a customer sends something and it doesn't appear as expected, it's worth checking the file size against WhatsApp's limits before assuming it's a connection issue.

Quick troubleshooting

If a message fails to send, walk through this order:

1. Has the customer messaged you in the last 24 hours? If not, only a template will go through.
2. Is this a brand-new contact? First contact always requires a template, regardless of message type.
3. Are you trying to send media (image, PDF, etc.)? The same 24-hour rule applies — media isn't a workaround for the timing restriction.
4. Is the recipient using a personal WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app? Messages between two official business/API-connected numbers can be blocked by WhatsApp for privacy reasons — if you're messaging another business's automated line rather than a personal contact, that's the likely cause.

Key takeaway

None of this is a limitation of your Dromlik system — it's how the official WhatsApp Business Platform is designed to work for every company that uses it, in order to prevent spam. Once you build the habit of getting customers to send the first message (a QR code, a link, a quick prompt), everything else — including all file and media types — works exactly like a normal conversation.