WhatsApp and artificial intelligence
Interactive button
An interactive button is an option shown below a WhatsApp message that is answered with a tap instead of typing. An interactive message can carry up to three reply buttons or a list of up to ten options, and the sender receives which one was chosen.
Also known asreply buttons · interactive message · list message · quick reply buttons
What it is exactly
| Format | How it works |
|---|---|
| Reply buttons | Up to three fixed options under the text, each 20 characters at most. When one is tapped, the system receives its ID and its text. |
| List message | A single button that opens a menu with up to ten options in total, grouped into sections, each with its title and a short description. |
| Buttons in a template | A message template can carry quick reply buttons, up to ten, and other kinds, such as opening a link or calling a phone number. |
Interactive messages are service messages: they can only be sent while the 24-hour window is open. Once it is closed, the button has to go inside an approved template. In a residence they suit anything with only a few possible answers (confirming an arrival, accepting a job, saying yes or no) and they save the "what did you mean?" that follows a bare "ok". With an open question, on the other hand, they get in the way.
Worth knowing
What people take for granted: that a button forces a choice. The person can ignore it and type something else, and the system has to understand that answer too: a "Yes" and a "No" do not cover someone who replies "I'll be back tomorrow night, I missed the train".
Sources
Related terms
- Message templateA WhatsApp message template is a message with a fixed format and variable placeholders (a name, a time) that is registered and reviewed by Meta before use. It is the only thing that can be sent outside the 24-hour window, and each one belongs to a category: utility, marketing or authentication.
- Service messageA service message is any non-template message a business sends through the WhatsApp Business Platform within the 24-hour window that a person opens by writing in: text, photos, audio, buttons. It needs no prior approval, and Meta charges for it in a category of its own.