Why is the AI not replying?
The AI only replies when it is switched on, the chat is in its hands, your plan has AI replies left, and it knows the answer. Check these in order: most cases are solved by the first two.
1. Is the AI Agent switched on?
Look at the card at the bottom of the sidebar. "AI is paused" means the AI is off for every chat. New accounts start with the AI off.
- Open Settings from the sidebar.
- Switch on Turn on AI Agent.
2. Is the chat with a person instead of the AI?
In Chats, each conversation has an AI or Human tag. If it says Human, the AI stays quiet in that chat. A chat moves to Human when:
- Open the chat in Chats.
- Click Hand back to AI.
- Someone clicked Take over conversation.
- You or a teammate replied to that customer from the phone. The AI always steps aside so you do not talk over each other.
- The chat was imported when you first connected WhatsApp. Imported chats start with the AI off.
- The chat started while the AI Agent was switched off.
To have the AI take chats back on its own, switch on Hand back to AI when I go quiet in Settings and choose the number of minutes.
3. Is it a group?
The AI never replies in WhatsApp groups. Automatic replies are for one to one chats only.
4. Does your plan have AI replies left?
- If your free trial has ended, or there is no active plan, the AI stops replying. The banner says "You have no active plan, so the AI is not replying to customers."
- Each plan has a monthly AI reply allowance, and the trial has a smaller allowance for the whole trial. When it is used up, the AI stays quiet and chats wait for your team.
- The account owner can check the AI replies meter under Plan and billing, in the Usage section. Monthly allowances reset on the 1st of each month.
If a payment failed, your plan keeps working for a short grace period. Fix the payment before the date shown in the banner to avoid the AI stopping.
5. Did the AI know the answer?
The AI never guesses. If the answer is not in your knowledge, it saves the question on the Unanswered tab in Train AI instead. Whether the customer gets a holding reply, such as "our team will get back within an hour", depends on what you wrote on the Instructions tab.
Add the answer from the Unanswered tab and the AI will know it next time.
6. Other things to check
- Timing: the AI waits a few seconds after the customer's last message, so several quick messages get one reply. If you set a Reply delay in Settings, it also waits that long.
- Testing from your own number: messages you send from the connected phone count as you replying, so they pause the AI. Test from a different phone, or use Test your AI in Train AI.
- WhatsApp connection: if the app shows the login screen, your WhatsApp is disconnected and nothing is being answered.
- Status updates are ignored. The AI only answers chat messages.
Common questions
I turned the AI on, but it ignores my existing customers.
Chats that were imported or started while the AI was off stay with you. Open each one and click Hand back to AI.
The AI replied once and then stopped in a chat.
Someone probably replied from the phone or clicked Take over conversation, which pauses the AI in that chat. Click Hand back to AI, or turn on Hand back to AI when I go quiet.
I am a team member and cannot see Plan and billing.
Plan and billing is for the account owner only. Ask the owner to check the plan and the AI replies meter.