Desktop app
Sending a WhatsApp message from the desktop app
How to start or reply to a WhatsApp Business conversation from the Cradle desktop app, who you can message, and what to do when the 24-hour reply window closes.
Important
WhatsApp is in private beta. We expect a general release of WhatsApp in mid-2026.
Cradle handles WhatsApp Business conversations from the same desktop app you use for calls. This article walks through sending a WhatsApp message and what to expect after you do.
Before you start
- You're signed in to the Cradle desktop app on Windows or macOS. WhatsApp is desktop-only today. See WhatsApp availability today for what's coming on mobile.
- Your org has at least one Cradle number with WhatsApp switched on. WhatsApp is enabled per number by Cradle support, not per user. If you don't see WhatsApp inside the messaging area, ask your admin to talk to Cradle about switching it on.
- The customer is reachable on WhatsApp. WhatsApp is an internet messaging network, so once your sender number is enrolled, you can reach WhatsApp users globally. There's no country confinement the way SMS has.
How starting a WhatsApp conversation works
WhatsApp Business doesn't let you message a customer cold. To send a free-form message, the customer must have messaged your WhatsApp Business number in the last 24 hours. The other route is sending a pre-approved template (appointment reminders, confirmations, that kind of thing). See About WhatsApp message templates for what templates are and how the workflow looks.
Until WhatsApp comes out of private beta (mid-2026 expected) and your org has been through Meta onboarding, the practical flow during the beta is:
- The customer messages your WhatsApp Business number first. They'll see your business profile in WhatsApp once your number is enrolled.
- Their message opens a 24-hour reply window. Inside that window you can send back and forth freely. Every new message from the customer resets the 24 hours.
- At general release, your admin can have templates approved for the kinds of outbound message you want to send (appointment reminders, confirmations, similar). A sent template re-opens the 24-hour window from your side.
Replying to a customer
- Click the messaging icon in the Cradle desktop app to open the messaging area.
- Pick the WhatsApp thread from the list. New unread threads sit at the top.
- Type your reply in the text box at the bottom and send it. Cradle picks the right outbound WhatsApp sender automatically; you don't choose a number.
See The WhatsApp 24-hour window for what happens if you're not sure whether the window is still open.
What you should see
- Your new message appears in the thread, marked as sent.
- The state updates from Sending to Sent to Delivered as the network confirms. If something goes wrong, it'll show Failed instead.
- The thread shows up at the top of your thread list with the most recent message preview.
If it doesn't work
- The compose box is disabled or shows a banner about the window. The 24-hour reply window has closed. The customer needs to message your business before you can send a free-form reply. See The WhatsApp 24-hour window.
- You don't see WhatsApp as an option. WhatsApp hasn't been switched on for your org. Your admin needs to ask Cradle support to enable it. See WhatsApp availability today.
- You can't find the contact in an existing thread. WhatsApp threads are keyed on the customer's mobile. If they haven't messaged your business yet, there's no thread to open until they do.