Flows

You can dictate your instructions using the microphone in the flow editor's message box.

What it does

Flows are forms your customers complete inside WhatsApp, such as surveys, registrations and enquiries.

When to use it

Use a flow when you need the same set of answers from every customer. Describe the form you want to the editor's assistant, review it, then publish it and attach it to a message template.

Steps

1. Open WhatsApp → Flows and select Create flow. To change an existing flow, open it and select Edit.
2. Describe the questions, wording and screens you need. Ask for changes until the form matches your requirements. The Images tab opens first; open JSON to see the form itself. On phones and tablets, switch between Assistant and Result.
3. Select Preview. Your work is saved at this point. The first time, the Name your flow dialog asks for a Name that is unique for this WhatsApp account. Spaces and underscores are allowed, up to 200 characters. The name is for your staff, not your customers.
4. Review the checks listed above the form. If WhatsApp reports errors, select Add to chat to ask the assistant to correct them, then select Preview again.
5. Review the Preview tab. Select Open preview in a new tab for more space, and select Preview again after further edits to update it.
6. Select Publish when the form is ready. This saves and checks your latest changes first, so you can publish without previewing. You can also publish a saved draft from its page in the list. Publishing makes the form available for use in messages; it does not send anything to customers.
7. Open WhatsApp → Templates, select Create template and add a Call to action button with Type of action set to Complete flow. Choose your flow under Flow and give the button a Label. Only published flows with no reported errors appear in the list. Follow the template guide to submit the template for review.
8. Once the template is approved, open WhatsApp → Scheduled, select Schedule campaign and choose the template under Template.

What you'll see

The assistant may work through several steps before the form updates. A line above its reply names the step in progress, such as Read… or Update…, and reads Worked through 3 steps once it finishes; select it to review the steps taken. Wait for it to finish, then review the result.

Above the form you see two sets of checks: Local checks, which run as you edit, and WhatsApp checks, which run when you save. Both must be clear before a flow can be published.

The Preview tab stays unavailable until a save succeeds; before then it shows See your flow in WhatsApp. After selecting Preview you see the saved form as it will appear in WhatsApp. The preview shows the layout but you cannot fill it in, and saving never sends the form to a customer.

The Flows list shows every form on your WhatsApp account under Name, Status and Categories. It stays empty until you create your first flow. Draft flows are still being worked on; Published flows can be selected in a template. Deprecated flows are hidden; choose Deprecated in the status filter to see them. Open any flow to see its details, publish a draft, or reopen the editor.

When a customer completes a flow, their answers arrive in AI Tools → Submissions. They are not filed against a task, so choose All tasks or No task (flows) to find them. See Submissions.

If something goes wrong

• The name is already used: enter a different name in the dialog. Your work is kept.
• WhatsApp reports errors: select Add to chat, review the correction the assistant makes, then save again.
• The assistant stops part way: it pauses after several automatic repairs in a row. Review the form and send another request to continue.
• We couldn’t confirm your save: WhatsApp may have created the flow before the connection dropped. Select Check Flows list and reopen the flow if it is there. Only choose I checked: no flow was created once you have confirmed it is absent.
• The flow changed before publication: reload the flow's page and review the latest version before publishing.
• The preview fails to load: select Preview to try again. Check the Flows list before creating another form, in case the save already succeeded.
• The preview looks unchanged: the preview shows your last saved version, so select Preview again after editing.
• The editor says the draft changed in another tab: select Download this copy to keep this tab's version, then select Reload editor. Edit a flow in one tab at a time.
• The editor says the draft could not be loaded: check your connection and reload the page. Only draft and published flows can be edited.
• The list says flows could not be loaded: reload the page. If it keeps failing, contact your onboarding manager.
• The list says no WhatsApp account is configured: your WhatsApp account is not connected yet. Contact your onboarding manager.
• A flow shows a status other than Draft or Published and offers no actions: WhatsApp has restricted it. Contact your onboarding manager.
• The flow's page says it has placeholder images: open Edit, assign a picture to each name shown as Not assigned in the Images tab, then select Publish.
• A picture is rejected when you save: choose a JPEG or PNG of up to 5 MB from the media library and save again.
• Copied images are too large to save: reassign each picture in the Images tab from the media library, then save again.
• You lose your connection: keep the editor open and download your work if you can. Reopen the draft when you are connected again; if you are offered Use browser draft or Use remote draft, download a copy before choosing which version to keep.
• A flow is missing from the list: it may be deprecated. Choose Deprecated in the status filter.
• We couldn’t confirm the deletion or deprecation: reload the Flows list, or the flow's page, to check its status before trying again.
• Your flow is missing from the template form: only published flows with no reported errors can be selected. Publish it, then select View flows to confirm its status.

If a flow still cannot be saved or published, contact your onboarding manager.

Images

Ask the assistant to add an image and it gives each picture a name, such as image:hero. Open the Images tab and use Select or Change beside each name to choose a picture from your media library, where you can also Upload media. See Media and Generate images.

Single pictures show as squares and carousel pictures as 4:3 unless you ask for a different shape. Ask the assistant for a "wide banner" or a "16:9 image" and it sets the shape for you; the Images tab shows each name at that shape, says whether the picture fills the box or fits inside it, and gives a Recommended size in pixels. Choose a picture with a matching shape where you can, for example a landscape image from Generate images. A picture that fills a box of a different shape is cropped at the edges.

Use JPEG or PNG files of up to 5 MB, 8-bit RGB or RGBA. Pictures are resized and compressed for WhatsApp when you save, and transparent areas become white. You don't need every picture to preview: names shown as Not assigned appear as a grey picture icon in the preview, so you can check the layout first and choose pictures later. Assign every name before you publish; Publish opens the Images tab while any are Not assigned.

The whole form, including its pictures, must stay under 10 MB. If a picture cannot be reduced enough, choose a simpler or smaller image.

Copied and downloaded files include your picture choices and can be imported back into the editor.

Editing the form directly

Use this when you already have a form to paste in, or want to change the wording yourself.

1. Open JSON and select Edit.
2. Paste or change the text.
3. Select Apply to update the form in the editor, or Cancel to discard your edits.

The assistant waits while you edit. If your text cannot be applied, an error appears beside Apply and your text stays available to correct. Check the image assignments afterwards. Apply updates the editor only: use Preview or Publish to save.

Changing a published flow

Open WhatsApp → Flows, select the flow and choose Edit. Make your changes, then select Publish to save and publish them to the same flow.

If publication fails after saving, your changes stay in the draft. Review the checks, correct the issues and publish again. If publication cannot be confirmed, select Check flow status before trying again.

Rename a draft

1. Open WhatsApp → Flows and select a draft.
2. Select Rename, enter a unique Flow name and select Rename.

The draft keeps its content and shows the new name. Only drafts can be renamed; published flows offer Duplicate instead.

Duplicate a published flow

1. Open WhatsApp → Flows and select a published flow.
2. Select Duplicate, enter a unique Flow name and select Duplicate.
3. If the original used pictures, open the Images tab and use Change to reassign each one from your media library. Copies carry the original's picture data, which can be too large to save from the editor.
4. Review the new draft, make your changes and publish it when ready.

The original stays available and existing templates continue to use it. To use the copy, select it in a new template and submit that template for approval.

If duplication cannot be confirmed, select Check Flows list and look for the new name before trying again.

Delete or deprecate a flow

What you can do depends on the flow's status. WhatsApp only allows drafts to be deleted; a published flow can be deprecated instead.

1. Open WhatsApp → Flows and select the flow.
2. For a draft, select Delete, then Delete again to confirm. The draft is removed from your WhatsApp account.
3. For a published flow, select Deprecate, then Deprecate again to confirm. The flow leaves the main list and appears when you choose Deprecated in the status filter.

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