Can I set an away message in regular WhatsApp?

No, only in the WhatsApp Business app. It's free, and you can move your number over to it.

Why isn't my away message sending?

In the app it only goes out while your phone is online. Then check Schedule and Recipients: outside business hours only works once your hours are in your business profile.

How long should an away message be?

Two or three sentences. Customers read it on a phone, and what matters most is when you'll reply.

Away message

WhatsApp away message: how to set it up, with examples

An away message lets customers know you're not around and when you'll reply. In the WhatsApp Business app it lives under Tools. Below are the steps in brief and 10 messages you can copy.

In the WhatsApp Business app

How to turn it on

Open Tools

Tap the Tools tab and choose Away message.

Write your message

Switch on Send away message, then tap the message to edit it.

Pick when and who

Under Schedule, choose always, a custom period, or outside business hours. Under Recipients, choose who gets it. Tap Save.

Steps per the WhatsApp Help Center, October 2026

Every step, plus the greeting message

Examples

10 away messages to copy

After hours

Thanks for your message! We're closed right now and will get back to you tomorrow from 9 a.m.

Evening, with an order number

Hi! We're back tomorrow morning. If this is about an order, add your order number and we'll have it ready.

Weekend

Thanks for getting in touch. We're off for the weekend and will reply on Monday from 8:30 a.m. Have a good one!

Vacation

We're on vacation until August 18 and will catch up on messages when we're back. You can still order at yourbusiness.com.

Holidays

Happy holidays! We're closed from December 24 through January 1 and will reply on January 2.

Closed unexpectedly

We're closed today, sorry for the short notice. We'll be back tomorrow and will answer your message then.

Busy in the shop

Thanks for the message! We're helping customers in the shop and will check the phone again within the hour.

With a link

Thanks for reaching out. Answers to the most common questions are at yourbusiness.com/faq, and we'll reply in person tomorrow.

For urgent cases

We can't reply on WhatsApp right now and will get back to you tomorrow. If it's urgent, call the number at yourbusiness.com.

Two languages

Thanks for your message, we'll reply tomorrow. Bedankt voor je bericht, we reageren morgen.

Always say when you'll reply, with a day or a time. Customers who know that are less likely to send a second message.

With Tobachat

One away message for the whole team

In Tobachat the away message is a flow under Automations. It runs on the WhatsApp Business API, so your phone can stay off.

Follows your hours

It reads your business hours from Settings. Change them once and the away message is right straight away.

Quiet after a teammate

If a teammate has just replied in person, no away message follows.

Or a real answer

Set the AI agent to answer on its own after hours, and customers get an actual reply in the evening instead of a notice.

One number, one message

If you also use the Business app on this number, switch its away message off there. Otherwise the app sends one as well.

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Pricing

What it costs

Automations and the AI agent are in every plan. An away message falls inside the 24-hour customer service window, where your first 1,000 messages per number each month are free at Meta.

See all plans Automations in the docs How AI customer service works

Common questions

About away messages

Under the Tools tab, on both Android and iPhone. Tap Away message and turn on the switch.

More guides

Switch on one away message for the whole team.

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