FAQ
Short answers. Each one links to the full guide.
Who can do this
- Anyone
Getting started
Is there a free trial?
No. There is no free plan, no free trial and no fixed-length evaluation period. Signing up means choosing a paid plan and completing payment before you can connect WhatsApp or send anything. Create your account.
How long does setup take?
Signup and payment take a few minutes. Meta's connection flow takes another few. Getting your first template approved is the variable part: usually minutes, sometimes hours.
Do I need a Meta Business account first?
No. If you do not have one, Meta creates it during the connection flow. You do need a Facebook account to sign in with; a personal one is fine. Connect your number.
Can I use my existing WhatsApp Business app number?
Only if you first delete the account from the WhatsApp Business app on the phone. A number can only be on one WhatsApp product at a time. Wait about two minutes after deleting, then connect.
Which countries are supported?
New workspaces can only be created with India as the country today.
WhatsApp rules
Why can't I type a reply?
The 24-hour service window has closed. WhatsApp allows free-form replies only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Send an approved template to re-engage; the composer shows a Send Template button. The service window.
What resets the 24-hour window?
Only a message from the customer. Nothing you send extends it. A tap on a button you sent counts as an inbound message, so it reopens the window.
Why do templates need approval?
Meta reviews every template before it can be sent, to stop businesses spamming people. Most rejections come from the wrong category or unrealistic sample values. Getting templates approved.
How do I raise my messaging limit?
Meta raises it on its own as you keep sending and your quality rating stays high. Business verification lifts the ceiling. It cannot be requested from inside Boldally Chat. Messaging limits.
What is a quality rating and why did mine drop?
Meta scores each phone number green, yellow or red based on how recipients react: blocks, reports and negative feedback push it down. A low rating leads to a lower messaging limit. The fix is sending messages people expect and honouring opt-outs. Phone numbers.
Messaging
What is the difference between a quick message and a template?
A quick message is a saved reply for use inside the 24-hour window; it is not approved by Meta and not charged. A template is approved by Meta, works outside the window, and is charged by Meta. Quick messages.
Can I personalise a campaign with each customer's name?
Not today. Template variables in a campaign take one value for the whole send. For per-customer values, use an automation, which maps variables from the triggering event.
Why did my campaign reach fewer people than the tag has?
Blocked contacts are always excluded, and contacts marked Unsubscribed are excluded from campaigns using a Marketing template. That is the opt-out handling working. Campaign problems.
Why did a message fail?
Hover it for Meta's reason, then select Retry. The most common causes are a missing Meta payment method, a blocked subscription, or a free-form message sent outside the service window. Delivery problems.
Can I send a message to someone who has never messaged us?
Yes, with an approved template. Use the + button in the inbox to start a new conversation. Send your first message.
Team and contacts
What can an agent not do?
Agents cannot see Settings for WhatsApp, Members, Integrations, Contact fields or Billing, and cannot add, edit, import or delete contacts. They can do everything inside the inbox. Roles and permissions.
Can I change a contact's phone number?
No. The phone number is fixed once a contact is created. Create the correct contact and delete the old one.
What columns does the contact CSV need?
phone is required and needs a country code. name, email and tags are
optional; tags are semicolon-separated. Custom fields use the field's key as the
header. Import and export.
Are there saved segments?
Not yet. Segments appears in the sidebar and opens a Coming soon screen. Use tags plus the contact filters instead. Tags.
Billing
What do I actually pay for?
Two separate bills: your Boldally Chat subscription, charged by Boldally through Razorpay; and WhatsApp message charges, billed by Meta directly at their published rates. Boldally adds no markup on messages. Plans and limits.
Why did an upgrade ask me to pay again?
A card mandate fixes the amount when you authorise it, so a different amount cannot be charged against it mid-cycle. The prorated difference is collected as a separate payment you confirm. Your renewal date does not move. Billing.
What happens if a payment fails?
You keep sending during the retry period. If retries are exhausted, outbound sending is paused. Incoming messages keep arriving in every state. Subscription states.
Can I get a refund if I cancel?
No refund for the remaining period. You keep access until the end of the period you have paid for. The published policy is at boldally.com/refund-policy.
Why is my downgrade blocked?
Your current usage does not fit the lower plan. The error names what to remove, usually extra agents or extra WhatsApp numbers. Remove them and retry.
Data and integrations
How long is chat history kept?
For the period set by your plan, shown on SettingsBilling. Older messages are removed automatically and cannot be recovered. Data retention.
Can I export my data?
Contacts export to CSV, including custom fields, from the Contacts page. There is no self-serve message export yet; ask support if you need a specific range.
Is there an API or webhooks?
Not today. The API keys screen and the Send webhook automation step both appear marked Coming soon. Zapier is also Coming soon. The live integration is Shopify. What is not available yet.
What does the Shopify integration do?
It triggers WhatsApp automations from ten commerce events (orders, shipments, refunds, abandoned checkouts), syncs opted-in customers into Contacts, and provides a storefront chat button. Connect Shopify.
Is there a mobile app?
No. Boldally Chat is a web app that works on phone browsers. Notifications require a browser tab to be open. Notifications.
What happens to my number if I stop using Boldally?
Nothing. The WhatsApp Business Account and its numbers are yours. Disconnecting removes our access; the numbers stay registered with Meta.