Quick Answer
Can the WhatsApp API show a typing indicator?
Yes. The Cloud API lets you display a typing indicator in response to a message a customer has sent you, using that message id. The indicator clears when you send your reply or after about twenty-five seconds, whichever comes first. One thing catches people out: triggering the typing indicator also marks the incoming message as read, so the customer sees blue ticks at the same moment. You cannot show typing without also acknowledging the message.
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WhatsApp API Typing Indicators
When it helps
The indicator exists for the gap between a customer asking something and your system answering. If an AI reply or a lookup takes three or four seconds, a typing bubble makes that wait feel normal instead of broken.
It is tied to an inbound message. You cannot display typing out of the blue before starting a conversation, which is the right design: it would be a strange thing to receive from a business you had not messaged.
The read-receipt side effect
Triggering typing marks the customer message as read. If your policy is to leave messages unread until a human has actually looked at them, typing indicators will break that, because the customer now sees blue ticks and reasonably expects a reply.
The honest way to use it is as a promise: show typing only when something is genuinely about to answer. Setting it on every inbound message and then leaving people waiting teaches them that your ticks mean nothing.
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Related reading
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a WhatsApp typing indicator last?
About twenty-five seconds, or until you send your reply, whichever comes first. There is no way to extend it, so if your process takes longer than that, send a short holding message instead.
Can I show typing without marking the message as read?
No. The two are bundled. Triggering the typing indicator marks that inbound message as read and shows the customer blue ticks.
Can I show a typing indicator before the customer messages me?
No. The indicator is triggered against the id of a message the customer sent you, so there has to be an inbound message first.
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By Weddingkart TeamLast updated