Reading your conversation list
Your conversation list is the left column of the inbox. Every contact who has ever messaged you shows up here, most recent first. The list does more than show names — it uses a small set of visual signals to tell you, at a glance, which chats need a reply, which are waiting on the customer, and which are already done.
This page walks through each signal so you can scan the list quickly and never leave a paying customer hanging.
Awaiting reply
When a contact has sent you a message that nobody on your team has answered yet, their row shows an amber dot next to the timestamp. Think of it as your to-do marker: amber means the ball is in your court.
- The dot appears the moment an inbound message lands.
- It clears automatically as soon as anyone on your team sends a reply.
- Rows with an amber dot are the ones to clear first.
If you only act on one signal, make it this one. An amber dot is a customer waiting on a human.
Not on WhatsApp
Some contacts reach you through a channel other than WhatsApp, or from a number that has no WhatsApp account. Those rows carry a small Not on WhatsApp indicator so you don't try to start a WhatsApp thread that can never be delivered.
When you see this label, reply through the channel the message actually came in on. The composer will already be set to the correct channel for you.
Resolved conversations
Once a conversation is marked resolved, its row is grayed out and sinks below your active chats. Graying out keeps finished work visible for reference without letting it compete for attention with live conversations.
- A resolved row stays searchable and clickable — nothing is hidden.
- If the customer messages again, the conversation reopens and returns to the top of the list with a fresh Awaiting reply dot.
The 24-hour window
WhatsApp only lets you send free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that window closes, you can only send an approved template. The list shows where each conversation stands with a window dot:
| Dot | Meaning | What you can send |
|---|---|---|
| Amber | Window closing soon | Free-form reply — but don't wait |
| Red | Window closed | Approved template only |
When you see a red window dot, the regular composer is replaced with the
template picker. Reach for a template like re_engagement to reopen the thread;
once the customer replies, a fresh 24-hour window opens and free-form replies
work again.
Putting it together
A single row can carry more than one signal at once — for example, an amber Awaiting reply dot alongside an amber window-closing dot means reply now, and reply fast. Scan top to bottom, clear the amber dots first, and let the grayed-out resolved rows fall away.
Next: back to all docs.