Guide: Where messages come from
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/where-messages-come-from
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: Your page Messenger and your Instagram DMs are in the same place as your comments.
Context: Messages is a tab on each page. It holds the conversations people start with your page: Messenger on a Facebook Page, direct messages on an Instagram account, and the private replies you send from a comment. The DM inbox is included from Starter.

Before you start:
1. Messages are per page, so you open them from the page rather than from All comments.
2. A private reply you send from a comment starts a conversation here.
3. Reading messages needs the message permission on the Facebook connection.

Steps:
Step 1 of 3: Open Messages on a page.
Where: Left sidebar, under Pages, click the page, then the Messages tab. On a phone, the Messages tab in the bottom bar, then the page.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages.en.webp (Messages, on a page.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The conversations for that page, newest first, with the thread beside them.

Step 2 of 3: Read an Instagram conversation.
Where: On an Instagram account, the same tab holds its direct messages, with the same composer and the same actions.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-ig.en.webp (An Instagram conversation.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Instagram DMs read the same way as Messenger, marked with the Instagram source.

Step 3 of 3: Know what starts a conversation.
Where: A customer writing to your page, or a private reply you send from a comment. The comment that started it appears as the first message, so the context travels with the conversation.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-ig.en.webp (The reply window on a conversation: a message from them starts it.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/messages-ig-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Every conversation shows how it began.

If something is off:
Problem: Messages is empty
Fix: Nobody has written yet, or the message permission is missing on the connection. Reconnect and allow it.
Problem: I can see comments but not messages
Fix: The connection was made without the message permission. The tab says so and offers to reconnect.
Problem: A conversation is missing
Fix: Check the Archive tab; conversations you archived are there until the person writes again.

Common questions:
Question: Which plans include the Messenger and Instagram DM inbox?
Answer: Starter and every plan above it. On Mini and Lite, messages still arrive and are kept, and the Messages tab explains what Starter adds. Mini and Lite are offered in selected countries.
Question: Does CommentWatchDog show Instagram DMs as well as Facebook Messenger?
Answer: Yes. The Messages tab on a Facebook Page holds Messenger, and on an Instagram account it holds the direct messages, marked with the Instagram source, with the same composer and actions.
Question: Who on my team can read and answer messages?
Answer: Anyone on your team. Only an owner or administrator can reconnect Facebook to add the message permission if it is missing.
Question: Is there one inbox for messages across all my pages?
Answer: No. Messages are per page, so you open them from the page rather than from All comments. Each page's tab lists its conversations newest first with the thread beside them.
Question: Can I see which comment started a private reply conversation?
Answer: Yes. When you send a private reply from a comment, the comment appears as the first message of the conversation, so the context travels with it.

Related guides:
- Allow message access on the connection: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/allow-message-access-on-the-connection
- Reply, attach a photo, send a GIF, record a voice note: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/reply-attach-a-photo-send-a-gif-record-a-voice-note
- Archive one or all conversations: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/archive-one-or-all-conversations

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/messages/where-messages-come-from.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt