Guide: The 24-hour reply window
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/the-24-hour-reply-window
Topic: Messages
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Anyone on your team
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: You know exactly how long you have to answer, and what to do when the time has passed.
Context: Meta limits how long a business may reply to a person. After their message you have 24 hours. The conversation shows how much of that is left, and says plainly when it has closed.

Before you start:
1. The 24 hours run from the customer last message, not from your reply.
2. A private reply to a comment has its own rule: one message, within 7 days of the comment.
3. When the window has closed, the customer writing again opens a new one.

Steps:
Step 1 of 3: Read the window on the conversation.
Where: Above the composer: Reply window open, with the time left. It counts down from their last message.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-ig.en.webp (The reply window, on the conversation.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: How long you have, in hours and minutes.

Step 2 of 3: Recognise a closed window.
Where: The line reads that the 24-hour reply window has closed, and the composer will not send. Nothing you wrote is lost.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-closed.en.webp (A closed window.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-closed-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A clear statement rather than a message that silently fails.

Step 3 of 3: Work with it.
Where: Answer inside the window, use notifications so you know when someone writes, and when a window has closed, answer their next message quickly.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/notifications?tab=device (Open notifications)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/device.en.webp (Turn on notifications, so a new message reaches you in time.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/device-turnon-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A push when a customer writes, which is what keeps you inside the window.

If something is off:
Problem: My message was refused
Fix: The window had closed between opening the conversation and sending. The text stays in the box.
Problem: Can I extend the window
Fix: No. Meta sets it. The customer writing again opens a new one.
Problem: The window is shorter than I expected
Fix: It counts from their last message, which may be older than the conversation looks if you have been reading it for a while.

Common questions:
Question: Does the 24-hour window restart when I reply?
Answer: No. The 24 hours run from the customer's last message, not from your reply, and the countdown above the composer counts from their message.
Question: How long do I have to send a private reply to a comment?
Answer: One message, within 7 days of the comment. After that, follow-ups are possible only once the person replies, and then within 24 hours of their reply.
Question: Where does CommentWatchDog show how much time is left to reply?
Answer: Above the composer: Reply window open, with the time left in hours and minutes. When it has closed, the same line says so and the composer will not send.
Question: Why is there a 24-hour limit on replying to messages?
Answer: Meta limits how long a business may reply to a person after their message. CommentWatchDog shows the limit rather than setting it, and the customer writing again opens a new window.

Related guides:
- Reply in public or by private message: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/inbox/reply-in-public-or-by-private-message
- Where messages come from: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/where-messages-come-from
- Turn on push notifications: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/notifications/turn-on-push-notifications

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/the-24-hour-reply-window.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt