Deploy your bot on WhatsApp to engage users directly through their preferred messaging platform. This guide covers testing, deploying, and configuring your bot for WhatsApp, along with limitations, personalization options, and troubleshooting tips.

Testing Your Bot

Preview and test your bot in the Indite editor by following these steps:

1. Click the Test button in the editor.
2. In the preview panel, select WhatsApp as the runtime environment.

Deploying on Your Phone Number

To deploy your bot on WhatsApp:

1. Navigate to the Share tab in your bot’s Indite dashboard.
2. Click the WhatsApp button to access integration instructions.
3. Follow the prompts to connect your bot to a WhatsApp phone number via a Meta app. Refer to the Create a Facebook Meta App Guide for setup details.

Configuring WhatsApp Integration

Customize your bot’s behavior on WhatsApp in the Configure Integration section of the Share tab.

Configuration Options

• Session Expiration Timeout: Set a duration (0–48 hours) after which the chat session expires if the user stops interacting. A new conversation starts if the user sends a message after expiration. Default is 4 hours.
• Start Bot Condition: Define a condition to trigger the bot when a user initiates a conversation. If the condition isn’t met, the bot won’t respond.

Personalizing with Contact Information

Automatically capture the user’s name and phone number using a Set Variable block with WhatsApp system variables.

Collecting User Location

Request the user’s location using a Text Input block. The location is saved as a variable in the format <latitude>, <longitude>.

Flow Editor Example

Bot Preview Example

WhatsApp Limitations

When building your bot for WhatsApp, keep these limitations in mind:

• Media Support:
  • GIF and SVG images are not supported and won’t display.
  • Only .mp4 videos are supported. See WhatsApp Supported Media Types (opens in a new tab) for details.
• Button Limits:
  • Maximum of 3 buttons can be displayed at a time. Additional buttons are shown via a "..." message.
  • Card input blocks are limited to 3 buttons per card.
  • Button text is truncated to 20 characters.
• Incompatible Blocks (skipped during execution):
  • Payment Input block
  • Chatwoot block
  • Script or Set Variable block with Execute on client enabled
  • Google Analytics block
  • Meta Pixel block
  • Cal.com block

FAQ

Troubleshooting

Bot Doesn’t Respond After Initial Preview Message

If you receive the initial preview message but the bot doesn’t respond:

• Verify Phone Number: Ensure the phone number in your Indite dashboard matches the one in your WhatsApp profile settings. For example, in Brazil, some users have 8- or 9-digit numbers—use the number displayed in WhatsApp’s settings.
• Check Terms of Service: Accept WhatsApp’s latest Terms of Service.
• Update WhatsApp: Ensure you’re using the latest version of the WhatsApp app.
• Test Number: Send a test message to Indite’s business phone number (+33 7 56 95 36 64) to confirm connectivity.

No Initial Preview Message Received

If the preview message isn’t received:

• Validate Phone Number: Ensure the phone number is valid and registered with WhatsApp.
• Test Connectivity: Send a message to Indite’s business phone number (+33 7 56 95 36 64).
• Check Terms and App Version: Accept WhatsApp’s latest Terms of Service and update the app.
• Verify Profile Number: Use the exact number shown in your WhatsApp profile settings.

Bot Doesn’t Reply After Publishing

If the bot doesn’t respond after deployment:

1. Test in Preview Mode: Confirm the bot works in Test mode.
2. Check for WhatsApp Business App Conflict:
   • If the phone number is used in the WhatsApp Business app, you cannot use it with Indite simultaneously.
   • Delete the WhatsApp Business app account to unlock the number (may take 24 hours).
   • Use a dedicated phone number for Indite to avoid conflicts.
3. Reconfigure Integration: Delete and re-add the phone number in the Indite dashboard, following all instructions carefully.
4. Review Start Conditions: Ensure no Start Bot Condition is preventing the bot from triggering, or verify the user’s first message matches the condition.
5. Check Test Number Allow List: If using a test phone number, ensure the user’s phone number is in the allowed numbers list.