Take over a chat from the AI, and hand it back

Open Conversations in the sidebar. Chats the AI has handed over sit under Waiting for your reply, with the reason (for example a question it had no confirmed answer for, or a request it is not allowed to decide). Today's home screen also lists them.

Open the chat and click Take over. From then on the AI stays silent in this conversation. Typing a reply also takes over: the composer says Sending a message will pause the AI for this conversation. Your messages are sent from the business number and marked with your name in the thread.

WhatsApp lets a business reply only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that the composer shows Reply window closed. Call them, or close the chat, and the lead's phone number is one tap away. The window opens again as soon as the customer messages.

When you are done, click Hand back. The AI resumes on the next customer message, using the same confirmed answers and playbooks. Handing back is recorded on the lead's timeline, as is the takeover.

A photo, voice note or file the customer sends shows up in the chat as what it is: you can open the photo, play the voice note and download the file. The AI does not read photos or files, so those chats come to you. Voice notes can be turned into text and answered by the AI when that is set up for your business — the employee's Settings tab says whether it is; otherwise they come to you with the audio ready to play.

Close conversation archives it under closed chats. If the customer writes again, the conversation reopens on the same lead, so nothing is lost. Viewers can read chats but cannot send or take over.