# Answering Instagram messages as a team

> WYP.chat connects your business’s Instagram professional account to the shared inbox where WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, email and website chat already arrive. Direct messages come in with the customer’s profile, the whole team replies from a computer or a phone, and every conversation has an owner.

At a glance

- Direct messages from your professional account
- Same inbox as WhatsApp and Messenger
- Unlimited users, no shared password
- Included in every plan, Free plan too

## What customers send you on Instagram

A question about a story, a price enquiry, a photo sent by DM: Instagram messages arrive at any hour. With WYP.chat they no longer sit on one person’s phone.

### A reply to your story

The message arrives marked “Replying to your story”, so whoever answers knows what the customer is talking about.

### The right person replies

Assign the conversation to the colleague who knows the subject. Everyone else can see it is taken, so nobody replies twice.

### Same customer, two channels

A customer messages you on Instagram, then on WhatsApp? WYP.chat suggests merging the two records so the whole history sits in one place.

Available

## What WYP.chat does with your Instagram messages

Messages go through Meta’s official API, the one Instagram opens to professional accounts linked to a Facebook Page.

- **Messages and attachments**: Text, photos, videos, voice notes, files and reactions land in the thread. If the customer deletes a message, it disappears on your side too.
- **Customer profile**: Name, username, photo, follower count, whether they follow you and whether they are verified. Meta shares neither phone number nor email: ask in the conversation if you need them.
- **Teamwork**: Assignment, internal notes and mentions, labels, quick replies, response times and alerts, just as on WhatsApp.
- **Buttons and cards**: Offer choices in one tap (quick replies) or cards with an image and a link button. The customer’s choice comes back into the thread.
- **Read receipts**: You can see when the customer has read your messages.

## Instagram on a phone, or in WYP.chat

Many businesses answer Instagram messages from the shop phone. Here is what changes when the team works in WYP.chat.

| Need | Shop phone | With WYP.chat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who can reply | Whoever has the phone or the password | The whole team, each with their own login |
| Knowing who is handling it | Nothing shows it | Conversation assigned, visible to everyone |
| WhatsApp, email, website chat | In other apps | In the same inbox |
| Talking to colleagues | On another channel | Internal notes in the thread, hidden from the customer |
| Response time | Not tracked | Target set, alert before it is missed (Team and Pro) |

Meta’s rule

## The 24-hour window

On Instagram, the customer starts the conversation. Meta then lets you reply for 24 hours after their last message, in most cases.

- **What Meta says**: The standard window lasts 24 hours. It can run to 7 days after a first message sent from a “click to Instagram Direct” ad.
- **What WYP.chat does**: WYP.chat counts 24 hours in every case and blocks a late reply, to protect your account.
- **After 24 hours**: Instagram has no templates like WhatsApp: wait for the customer to message you again.

## Connecting Instagram to WYP.chat

Allow about ten minutes. The Instagram account must be a professional account linked to the business’s Facebook Page.

An owner or an admin of the workspace connects channels. Stuck on the Meta token? Message us on WhatsApp and we will walk you through it.

1. **Prepare the account**: In Instagram, switch to a professional account and link it to the business’s Facebook Page.
2. **Create access in Meta**: In Meta’s business settings, under System users, give a user access to the Page with messaging permissions, then generate their access token.
3. **Add the channel**: In WYP.chat, open Channels, Add a channel, choose Instagram, then enter the Page ID and the token.
4. **Test it**: Message your account from another Instagram account: it appears in the inbox.

## What WYP.chat does not do on Instagram

So you know what to expect before connecting the account:

- Public comments on your posts and reels are not brought in: only direct messages reach WYP.chat.
- Shared posts and story mentions arrive as a message WYP.chat cannot display yet.
- Sending a photo or a file from WYP.chat is not yet possible on Instagram: text, buttons and cards only.
- An Instagram account that is not linked to a Facebook Page cannot be connected.
- No Meta “human agent” tag (7 days) for now: after 24 hours, you wait for the customer.
- Like your team, the AI agent stops replying once 24 hours have passed since the customer’s last message.

Plan

## Instagram is included in every plan

The Free plan covers 50 conversations a month across all channels, with unlimited users. To route messages by team and track response times, move to Team (€99 a month excl. VAT), the same price for 3 people or 20. 14-day trial, no card needed (Solo if you work alone, Pro as a team).

[Compare plans](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need an Instagram professional account?

Yes. Meta only opens messaging to tools like WYP.chat for professional accounts, and WYP.chat connects through the Facebook Page linked to the account.

### Can I reply to comments from WYP.chat?

No, WYP.chat receives direct messages only. Public comments are still handled in Instagram or Meta Business Suite.

### What happens if I reply after 24 hours?

WYP.chat blocks the message: Meta only allows a reply within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. You need to wait for them to write again.

### Can several people reply at the same time?

Yes, with no user limit and no shared password. Everyone sees who is handling which conversation, and internal notes stay within the team.

### Can the AI agent reply on Instagram?

Yes. The WYP.chat AI agent replies to Instagram direct messages from your sources (FAQ, website pages, documents) and hands over to the team as soon as it is unsure. The workspace owner switches it on, then it starts in draft mode: it suggests, the team approves. It introduces itself as an AI.

### Can I keep using the Instagram app?

Yes. The account works as before, and a reply written in the app or in Meta Business Suite also shows up in the WYP.chat thread.

## Which industries it suits

The industries where this helps most, and why.

### [WhatsApp for hotels and travel agents](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/hospitality)

Pre-stay questions sent by direct message.

### [WhatsApp for online shops](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/ecommerce)

Pre-purchase questions coming from your posts.

### [WhatsApp for hair and beauty salons](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/hair-beauty)

Booking requests from your Instagram account.

### [WhatsApp for gyms](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/gyms)

Trial requests received on Instagram.

## How to do it in WYP.chat

Help centre articles that walk through each setting, screen by screen.

- [Connect Messenger, Instagram and your email address](https://wyp.chat/en/help/connecter-messenger-instagram-email)
- [Your AI agent on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram](https://wyp.chat/en/help/agent-ia-messageries)
- [Group a customer who uses several channels](https://wyp.chat/en/help/doublons)
- [Assign a conversation](https://wyp.chat/en/help/attribuer)

- [Every channel in the shared inbox](https://wyp.chat/en/channels)
- [Every WYP.chat feature](https://wyp.chat/en/features)
- [WhatsApp Business guides, one question at a time](https://wyp.chat/en/guides)
- [The whole WYP.chat help centre](https://wyp.chat/en/help)

**Guides**

- [WhatsApp Business with multiple users](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-business-multiple-users)
- [WhatsApp auto reply](https://wyp.chat/en/guides/whatsapp-business-auto-reply)

**Pages**

- [Messenger](https://wyp.chat/en/channels/messenger)
- [Website chat](https://wyp.chat/en/channels/website-chat)
- [Telegram](https://wyp.chat/en/channels/telegram)
- [Email](https://wyp.chat/en/channels/email)
- [Teamwork](https://wyp.chat/en/features/teamwork)
- [Channels and integrations](https://wyp.chat/en/integrations)
- [Pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

### Sources

1. Meta, sending a message (24-hour window, Instagram): [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/messenger-platform/send-messages?locale=en\_GB](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/messenger-platform/send-messages?locale=en_GB)
2. Meta, quick replies: [developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/messenger-platform/send-messages/quick-replies?locale=en\_GB](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/messenger-platform/send-messages/quick-replies?locale=en_GB)
3. Instagram, setting up a professional account: [help.instagram.com/502981923235522?locale=en\_GB](https://help.instagram.com/502981923235522?locale=en_GB)
4. Instagram, linking a professional account to a Facebook Page: [help.instagram.com/570895513091465?locale=en\_GB](https://help.instagram.com/570895513091465?locale=en_GB)

Pages accessed on 10 October 2026.

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Source: https://wyp.chat/en/channels/instagram · Updated on 11 October 2026