On this page
The Inbox tab is the heart of the Android app: the same conversations, assignment and stages as the web, laid out for one hand and a busy day. This guide covers the list, the conversation screen, replying inside and outside the 24-hour window, the team actions, and how the outbox protects replies on a bad connection.
Before you start
- Sign in and grant notification permission so new messages reach you.
- Your role decides what you see: Agents see assigned and unassigned conversations; Supervisors and above see all.
The conversation list
- Open the Inbox tab. The top tabs switch between Mine, Unassigned, Team, All and Resolved.
- Filter by channel (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, website) and by stage or tag with the filter icon.
- Pull down to refresh; the list also updates live as messages arrive.
- Search from the magnifier for a name, number or message text; results open at the matching message.
Replying
- Open a conversation. The header shows the contact, channel, assignee, stage and the time left in the WhatsApp 24-hour window.
- Type in the composer and send. Emoji, formatting (bold, italic, strikethrough, monospace) and quoted replies follow WhatsApp's conventions.
- Attach with the clip: photos from the gallery or camera, videos, documents, and audio recorded in the app.
- When the window is closed, the composer switches to Templates: pick an approved template, check the variables (filled from the contact where mapped) and send.
- Use quick replies with the slash shortcut for saved answers, and the AI suggestion where enabled.
Media and formatting details
Photos are compressed for WhatsApp's limits automatically; documents are sent as files with their original names; voice notes are recorded in the app and sent as audio. Incoming media downloads on demand and stays cached for the conversations you open. WhatsApp formatting works as on the phone app: asterisks for bold, underscores for italic, tildes for strikethrough and backticks for monospace, and the composer shows a preview. Quoted replies are made by long-pressing a message and choosing Reply, which shows the quoted text above your message on the customer's phone.
Search and navigation
Search covers contact names, numbers and message text across the conversations you can see. A result opens the conversation scrolled to the matching message with a brief highlight. From any conversation, the contact's name opens the contact record with leads, appointments and other channels' conversations, and the back gesture returns to the list where you left it.
Team actions
From the header menu: Assign to a teammate or team, change the stage, add tags, write an internal note (visible to the team, never to the customer), Snooze until later, Resolve, or open the contact to see leads, appointments and history.
Offline and weak connections
Replies go into an outbox first. If the send fails for lack of connection it is retried automatically up to three times as the connection returns; after that the message shows "No connection. Tap to retry." The outbox keeps entries until the server confirms them, so a reply is never lost or duplicated by a killed request. A delivered reply stays visible in the thread while the app reconciles it with the server.
Stages, tags and notes in daily use
Stages keep the list honest: move a conversation to waiting when you have asked the customer something, to resolved when it is done, and the tabs sort themselves. Tags record what the conversation was about (complaint, price query, booking) so segments and reports can find it later, and notes carry context to the next person: what was promised, what was refused, what to check. All three are a tap from the header, and all three are visible to the web app instantly.
Working across channels
A contact who wrote on Instagram yesterday and on WhatsApp today shows both conversations under one contact, and the channel icon on each list row tells you where the reply will go. Replies follow the channel of the conversation you are in; to move a customer to WhatsApp from Instagram, send them the business number or a wa.me link and continue in the new thread when they write.
Settings and options
| Setting | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox tabs | Mine, Unassigned, Team, All, Resolved | Top of the Inbox tab |
| Channel and stage filters | Narrow the list | Filter icon |
| Templates | Approved templates for closed windows | Composer, when the window is closed |
| Quick replies | Saved answers by shortcut | Composer, slash |
| Notes | Internal notes on the conversation | Header menu |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Composer shows templates only | The 24-hour window has closed | Send a template; the window reopens when the customer replies |
| A sent message shows pending for a long time | No connection or a large attachment | Wait for retries or tap to retry on Wi-Fi |
| Cannot see a conversation a teammate mentioned | Role scope | Ask a Supervisor to assign it or check the team filter |
| Messages appear out of order after reconnecting | Gap recovery in progress | Pull to refresh once; order settles within seconds |
The inbox tour explains every control in depth; behaviours are identical on the phone.
A last habit worth building: resolve conversations when they are done, even on the phone. Resolved threads leave the working tabs, the customer's next message reopens them automatically, and the CSAT request (if enabled) goes out at that moment, so resolving is what closes the loop rather than a tidy-up.