Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions businesses ask most about using WhatsApp with Midlr, each with a link to the full guide.
Midlr and WhatsApp basics
What is Midlr?
Midlr lets your business talk to customers on WhatsApp from one shared place, using your own WhatsApp business number. Your whole team can answer chats, send campaigns, run bots and AI, and take orders. Midlr works with Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform: you connect your number once, and then everything happens inside Midlr. See What is Midlr?
Do my customers need a special app to message my business on Midlr?
No. Your customers keep using their normal WhatsApp, and your business looks to them like any other WhatsApp contact. Your team answers them from Midlr on the web or in the Midlr mobile app. See WhatsApp basics.
What is the 24-hour customer service window?
The 24-hour customer service window is the time after a customer's last WhatsApp message during which your business can reply with any kind of message: text, pictures, voice notes, files or buttons. Every new message from the customer starts the 24 hours again. When the window closes, you can only message that customer with an approved template, and Midlr shows Window closed at the top of the chat. See WhatsApp basics.
What is a WhatsApp message template?
A WhatsApp template is a message you write in advance and send to Meta for approval. You need an approved template to start a conversation, to message a customer after the 24-hour window has closed, and to send campaigns. Every template has a category: Marketing, Utility or Authentication. See Templates.
Do I need customers' permission before messaging them on WhatsApp?
Yes. Meta requires that a customer has agreed to receive WhatsApp messages from your business (opt-in) before you message them. Good ways to get opt-in are a checkbox on your website or checkout form, the customer messaging you first, or asking in person and noting it. Messaging people who didn't agree leads to blocks and reports, which lowers your quality rating and can get your number limited. See WhatsApp basics.
Is there a Midlr mobile app?
Yes. The Midlr mobile app is available for iPhone and Android, and you log in with the same email and password you use on the web. In the app you can reply to WhatsApp chats, send approved templates, make and answer calls, and get notifications for new messages. Setup work, such as building bots and managing your team, is done in a web browser. See Mobile app.
Connecting a number
What do I need to connect my WhatsApp number to Midlr?
You need a Business Portfolio in Meta Business Manager, a Facebook account with full admin access to it, and a phone number that can receive an SMS or a phone call. You also need permission in Midlr to add business numbers. Landline numbers work, but they need the phone call option to receive the code. See Connect your WhatsApp number.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app after connecting my number to Midlr?
Yes, if you connect the number with the path for numbers from the WhatsApp Business app (path C). You keep chatting one-to-one from the app on your phone, messages stay in sync between the app and Midlr, and customers see no change. The app number must be in its own WhatsApp Business Account, and a brand-new number connected the normal way can't also be used in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. See Connect your WhatsApp number.
Will my old WhatsApp Business app chats move to Midlr?
Only if you choose to share them. When you move a number from the WhatsApp Business app to Midlr, Share chats copies up to 6 months of one-to-one chats into Midlr, and group chats are never shared. This choice can't be changed later, not even by reconnecting. See Connect your WhatsApp number.
How many WhatsApp numbers can I connect to Midlr?
It depends on your Midlr plan: 1 business number on Starter, 2 on Growth and 5 on Premium. When you reach your plan's limit, the add button is greyed out with Max numbers reached. All your numbers share one WhatsApp messaging limit, because Meta sets the limit per Business Portfolio. See Connect your WhatsApp number.
Do I need Meta Business Verification to use Midlr?
No. Meta's Business Verification is not required to connect a number to Midlr, but it shows your business name to customers in chats, gives access to WhatsApp calling, raises your messaging limit, and is required before you can apply for the blue verified badge. You do it in Meta Business Manager, before or after you connect your number. See Connect your WhatsApp number.
Messaging, templates and campaigns
Why can't I send a message to a customer?
The most common reason is that the customer's 24-hour customer service window is closed: Midlr shows Window closed, and you can only send an approved template with Send Template. You also can't send if the chat is assigned to another agent or group, or if you blocked the customer, and marketing can't reach a customer who unsubscribed. The bar at the bottom of the chat in Midlr tells you which reason applies. See Sending messages.
How long does WhatsApp template approval take?
Most WhatsApp template reviews are quick, but Meta can take up to 24 hours. In Midlr a new template shows as Pending during the review, then Approved or Rejected, and the status updates without reloading the page. Only approved templates can be sent. See Templates.
Why was my WhatsApp template rejected?
Meta usually rejects a template for a wrong category (a promotion marked Utility), variables in the wrong place, missing example values, unclear or misleading content, or the same wording as an existing template. Midlr shows that a template was Rejected but not Meta's reason, so open the template in Meta's WhatsApp Manager to see why. Then fix the wording and edit it, or create a new template. See Templates.
How do I send a WhatsApp message to many customers at once?
Send a campaign. A Midlr campaign sends one approved template to everyone in a phonebook, now, at a time you pick, or in batches. Every campaign message is a template message, so Meta charges for it and it counts toward your messaging limit. See Campaigns.
Can I schedule a WhatsApp campaign for later?
Yes. In the Midlr campaign builder you can pick Schedule for later, Keep sending until everyone's reached, or Send in batches every few days. You can also limit sending to certain hours with Only between these hours, in your business's timezone. See Campaigns.
What is the WhatsApp messaging limit?
The WhatsApp messaging limit is how many different customers your business can start a conversation with, using templates, in a rolling 24-hour period. Replies to customers who wrote to you first don't count, and the limit is shared by all numbers in your Business Portfolio. Meta's tiers are 250, 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited, and new businesses start at 250. When a Midlr campaign reaches the limit, sending pauses automatically. See Messaging limits & quality.
How do I increase my WhatsApp messaging limit?
You increase your WhatsApp messaging limit by verifying your business and by sending good-quality messages to many customers. To go from 250 to 2,000, complete Meta's Business Verification. From 2,000 upwards, start high-quality conversations with at least half your current limit in unique customers within a rolling seven days; Meta then raises the limit automatically, usually within 6 hours. See Messaging limits & quality.
What is the WhatsApp quality rating?
The quality rating is Meta's score for each business number, High, Medium or Low, based on how customers react to your messages, mainly blocks and spam reports. A low rating can get your number flagged or restricted, and a flagged number's limit can't go up. In Midlr the rating shows on each number card on the Business Numbers page. See Messaging limits & quality.
How can customers stop receiving my marketing messages on WhatsApp?
Customers can stop your marketing messages by tapping a Stop promotions button, which you add to marketing templates with the Opt-out Button. When a customer taps it, Midlr marks them as unsubscribed and campaigns skip them automatically. If they message you again later, they are marked as subscribed again. See Templates.
Can I make and receive WhatsApp calls in Midlr?
Yes. Midlr lets you make and take WhatsApp voice calls in your browser with your business number, using simple calling or the Call Center (routing, queues, phone menus and recordings). Calling is available on selected plans and must be turned on for the number, and WhatsApp only lets you call a customer who has given you permission. Without permission, send a "Call Us" Message so the customer can call you. See Calls.
Automation and AI
Can Midlr reply to WhatsApp customers automatically?
Yes. With Midlr's Bot Factory you build chatbots that answer WhatsApp customers automatically, with buttons, lists and menus, and actions such as tagging a customer or creating a lead. A bot starts from a trigger, for example any message, a keyword, an order from your catalog, or a click on one of your Meta ads. Bots are available on selected plans, and each bot conversation uses one of your plan's bot sessions. See Bot Factory.
How does a bot hand a chat over to a human agent?
Add a Transfer Chat node to the bot, for example after a "Talk to an agent" button, and Midlr assigns the chat to the agent or group you chose. In the inbox, you can also click Stop Bot on a chat so bots stop replying to that customer until you click Resume Bot. See Bot Factory.
What is a Midlr AI Employee?
An AI Employee is an AI assistant in Midlr that chats with your WhatsApp customers in plain conversation, answering only from a knowledge base file you upload. It doesn't make up answers that aren't in the file, and customers can tap Exit AI to reach your team. It works inside a bot, and its usage is paid from your prepaid AI wallet. See AI Employees.
Can the AI Employee understand voice notes?
Yes. When Understand voice notes is on, a Midlr AI Employee listens to the customer's WhatsApp voice notes, and it can also answer with spoken voice notes if you turn on Reply with voice notes. Each voice note heard and each voice reply is charged to your AI wallet. See AI Employees.
How much does a Midlr AI Employee cost to run?
A Midlr AI Employee is paid per use from your prepaid AI wallet, and each task, such as reading a customer's message and replying, usually costs a fraction of a cent. You top up the wallet by card ($10 to $1,000 at a time) or turn on automatic top-up, and businesses with a paid subscription get a one-time $2 welcome credit. When the balance runs out, AI Employees pause and your bots carry on without them. See AI wallet.
Team and permissions
Can several team members use the same WhatsApp number?
Yes. A number connected to Midlr works through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, so many people on your team can use it at the same time, from the web and the mobile app. Everyone works in one shared inbox, and you assign each chat to a teammate or group so it's clear who is handling it. See Chatting (the inbox).
How do I add team members to Midlr?
In Midlr, open Administration, click Users, then Create User, enter the person's name and email, and pick their roles. Midlr emails them an invitation to set their own password, and the link works for about one hour. Each plan allows a set number of users, and new users can't be assigned chats until you turn on Can Receive Chat for them. See Users.
How do I control what each team member can see and do?
You control access with roles: each role is a list of permissions, and a user gets every permission from all their roles combined. Midlr hides what a user isn't allowed to use, so a menu item missing from someone's sidebar is almost always their role. Default roles include Admin, Chat Agent, Call Center Agent and Call Center Manager, and you can create your own under Administration > Roles. See Roles & permissions.
Can I limit an agent to only their own chats?
Yes. In Midlr, a user with Show All Chats turned off sees the chats assigned to them, plus the chats of contacts in any phonebooks you give them. A user with Show All Chats turned on sees every chat in the business. You set this per user with Edit on the Users page. See Users.
Plans and billing
How much does Midlr cost?
Midlr has three plans, Starter, Growth and Premium, billed monthly or yearly, and the current prices are shown on the Plans page because they can change. Each plan sets how many users, WhatsApp numbers and bot sessions you get, and which features are included. Meta's WhatsApp message charges and Midlr's markup fees on template messages are separate from the plan price. See Plans.
Is there a free trial of Midlr?
Yes. Midlr offers a free demo that gives Premium-level access for a set number of days, with no credit card needed. You start it on the Plans page with Start Free Demo, and each business can use the demo only once. See Plans.
How much does Midlr charge per message?
Midlr adds a small markup fee for each template message that is delivered, for example in campaigns, and the amount depends on the customer's country and the kind of template. Replies inside an open 24-hour customer service window don't add markup fees. Markup fees add up during the month and are charged to your card automatically at the start of each month, while Meta bills its own message charge separately. See Payments.
Does Meta charge for WhatsApp messages?
Yes. Meta charges for the template messages it delivers, at a price that depends on the template category (Marketing, Utility or Authentication) and the customer's country, while replies inside an open 24-hour window are generally free. You pay Meta through a payment method in Meta Business Manager, and until you add one you can't send templates to start conversations. Midlr doesn't set Meta's prices. See WhatsApp basics.
What happens if I cancel my Midlr plan?
Your Midlr plan stops renewing, but you keep full access until the end of the period you already paid for, and no refunds are given for unused time. During this grace period you can click Resume Plan to carry on as normal. When the plan ends, bots don't run, campaigns aren't sent and new WhatsApp messages are refused until you choose a plan again. See Plans.