Messenger and Instagram DMs, next to the comments
Half of what a comment starts ends in a private message: the order number, the photo of the torn bag, the address. Both message systems live beside the comments, with the 24-hour rule Meta imposes shown as it runs.
Messenger and Instagram DMs, the same screen
Left, an Instagram conversation inside its 24-hour window: a photo, a quoted reply, a reaction. Right, a Messenger conversation past the window: the composer replaced by the reason. Both are real captures from the showcase account.
The customer wrote three hours ago, so the page has the rest of the 24 hours to answer. Her photo, the quoted reply and the heart reaction all travel through the same thread.
The last message came 31 hours ago. Meta only allows a reply within 24 hours of the person's last message, so the composer says exactly that, and who has to write first.
Everything the thread carries, and how you answer
The list, the thread, the composer and the phone, in the app's own words.
The list
Per page, two tabs, search, and archive without losing anything.
- Inbox and Archive
Conversations newest first with the last line, a You: prefix on your own, the channel (Messenger or Instagram DM), a badge when the customer is waiting, a Draft badge when you started a reply.
InboxArchiveAwaiting your replyDraftMessengerInstagram DM
- Search
By name and by message text, in the tab you are in.
Search conversations…
- Archive, one or all
Archive a thread from its header or by swiping; Archive all clears the inbox in one confirmation. A conversation comes back to the inbox the moment the customer writes again.
Archive allThey move to the Archive tab. A conversation comes back to the inbox the moment the customer writes again.
- Live
The open thread refreshes on its own every few seconds; the list shows new conversations as they arrive; pull to refresh on a phone.
Pull to refresh
The thread
Everything the platform carries, in one conversation view.
- Messenger-style grouping
Messages from one side within five minutes share a cluster and one timestamp; day chips (Today, Yesterday, the date) split the history; read receipts show Seen just now or Seen at a time.
TodayYesterdaySeen just nowSeen {when}
- Photos, videos, files, voice, GIFs
Inbound attachments render inline: photo, video, voice message with a player, file, GIF. A gone attachment says so instead of breaking.
PhotoVideoVoice messageFileGIF
- Quoted replies and reactions
A message that answers another shows the quoted one above it. On Instagram, react to a customer's message with an emoji and remove the reaction; the badge sits on the bubble.
React with an emojiRemove reactionMessage unavailable
- Translate a message
One click turns a customer's message into your language, with the source language noted under it.
TranslateTranslated from {src}
- The 24-hour window, live
A pill counts the time left to reply; when the window has closed the composer gives way to the explanation and who must write next.
Reply window open · {left} leftThe 24-hour reply window has closed
- Meta Business Suite, one click away
View in Meta Business Suite opens the same conversation in Meta's inbox.
View in Meta Business Suite
The composer
Text, media, voice, translation, drafts.
- Type and send
Enter sends on a desktop; on a phone Enter makes a new line and the button sends. Sending shows Sending…, a failure shows Not sent with Retry and Discard.
Type your message here…ReplySending…Not sentRetry
- Attach an image
Up to 8 MB, previewed before sending, removable.
Attach an imageImages can be up to 8 MB
- GIFs, emoji, voice
Search GIFs and send one; an emoji picker with your recent ones; record a voice note, listen back, send or discard.
Send a GIFSearch GIFsInsert emojiRecord a voice noteSend voice note
- Translate your draft
Into the customer's language, detected from their messages or their name and remembered for this conversation, or into a language you pick. A line says how the language was chosen.
Translate into the customer's languageCustomer's language · {lang}Translate into another language…
- Drafts that wait
A draft is kept per conversation and shows as Draft in the list; Clear message empties it with Undo.
DraftClear messageMessage cleared.Undo
On a phone
List or thread, one at a time.
- Swipe and hold
Swipe a chat to archive it, press and hold for more. Undo after every swipe.
Swipe a chat to archive it. Press and hold for more.ArchivedUndo
- The More sheet
In a thread: translate (into the known customer language, or another), send a photo, send a GIF, record a voice message.
MoreTranslate into {lang}Send a photoSend a GIFRecord a voice message
- Back to the list
The back chevron returns to the list with the conversation you came from highlighted; the bottom tab bar steps aside while you are in a thread.
All conversations
- A push per chat
Installed as an app with notifications on: a new message in a chat sends one alert per chat, straight into the thread.
Customer messagesA new message in a chat, one alert per chat
Messages in the app
Real captures from the showcase account.
Windows, permissions and empty inboxes
The states a messaging inbox runs into, handled.
- No conversations yet
- The page shows what a thread looks like and a button to send your own page a test message (m.me for a Page, ig.me for an Instagram account).
- Message access was not allowed
- If the Facebook connection lacks the messaging permission, an amber banner says so and Reconnect and allow fixes it in one step.
- The window has closed
- The composer is replaced by the explanation; the customer's next message reopens it for another 24 hours.
- A send fails
- The bubble says Not sent with Retry and Discard; nothing is lost.
- Your plan is locked
- New messages keep arriving. The list and tabs stay live; the thread pane asks for a plan to open them.
- A group or all-pages view
- Messages are per page. From a brand or all-pages view, the Messages tab offers the pages to jump into.
Comments start it; messages finish it
A private reply to a public comment lands here; agents and automations can send one; the phone carries the push.
Questions about messages
Short answers before you open the tab.
Facebook Messenger conversations of a connected Page and Instagram Direct conversations of a connected Instagram professional account, per page, in the Messages tab next to that page's comments. Inbox and Archive tabs, with counts.
Yes. Attach an image (up to 8 MB), search and send a GIF, record a voice note, insert an emoji. Instagram conversations also take an emoji reaction on a customer's message.
Meta only allows a page to reply within 24 hours of the person's last message. The thread shows the window live (Reply window open, 19 hours left); when it has closed, the composer is replaced by the explanation and the person's name, who has to write again first.
Both ways. Translate a customer's message into your language, and translate your draft into the customer's language, detected from their messages or their name, remembered for the conversation, or picked from a list.
Yes. From the comment's composer, Send as private message answers a public comment with a Messenger or Instagram DM where Meta allows it, and the conversation then lives here.
Yes. The list and the thread take turns on a small screen, swipe a conversation to archive it, press and hold for more, and the More sheet in a thread holds translate, photo, GIF and voice note. Installed as an app, a new customer message sends a push, one per chat.
Every thread has View in Meta Business Suite, which opens the same conversation in Meta's own inbox for anything the app does not do.