Choose what happens when someone messages your number for the first time
A new First chat setting on each WhatsApp number sends a welcome, asks what the customer needs, hands the chat to your AI agent or an Auto Flow, or simply adds them to the inbox.
Released 5 November 2026
Greet a new customer the way you want, the moment they open a chat with your number for the first time.
What's new
Under the number's Customer chat tab, First chat offers six choices:
- Send a welcome message — with up to 3 reply buttons.
- Ask what they need — each answer goes to an Auto Flow, your AI agent or your team.
- Hand the chat to your AI agent.
- Start a published Auto Flow.
- Add them to the inbox only, or do nothing.
Worth knowing
- It runs once per customer, and the inbox shows "Opened the chat for the first time".
- From 6 November, a welcome or a question can name an approved template (with no variables) to send when the chat window isn't open.
- The number's automated-replies switch still decides whether anything is sent, and each message is billed at your usual rate.
- WhatsApp doesn't always send WA.cr the notice that a chat was opened, so keep your usual replies in place too.