How to Set an Out-of-Office Auto-Reply on WhatsApp (Personal or Business)

Whether you're on a regular WhatsApp number or the WhatsApp Business app, an out-of-office message works the same way: a rule that fires automatically while you're asleep, in a meeting, or on a flight, without you touching your phone. Neither one requires the official WhatsApp Business API.

Setting an out-of-office message on WhatsApp Business

WhatsReply AI works with both the regular WhatsApp app and the WhatsApp Business app on the same phone, using Notification Access rather than the official WhatsApp Business API. That means the setup below — a Keyword Rule with an away-message — works the same way whether the number is personal or a WhatsApp Business number, with no API application, approval wait, or platform fee.

You don’t need WhatsApp Business or an API key

WhatsReply AI replies to WhatsApp the same way you would — by tapping reply on the notification. There's no WhatsApp Business API to apply for, no approval wait, and no monthly platform fee. If you've been putting off an auto-reply because every guide you found was written for the official Business API, this is the version for a regular WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business number.

Set a rule that covers "away," not just "busy"

A Keyword Rule set to match anything (or a Welcome Message with a cooldown) can act like a classic out-of-office reply: "Traveling until the 14th, slow to reply — I’ll get back to you after." No dashboard, no scheduling tool — turn it on before you leave, turn it off when you’re back.

Let AI handle the "when will you reply" follow-up

A plain away-message answers once. An AI Reply persona can handle the second message too — "any idea when you’ll be free?" — with something that actually reads like you, instead of the same canned line twice in one conversation.

Your messages still stay on your phone

Standard rules run entirely on-device. Nothing about turning on an away-message reply means handing your conversations to a server somewhere — it’s the same privacy model as any other rule in the app.