I reply from the WhatsApp app on my phone — why does it still count as unanswered?
Numbers connected in side-by-side mode (the WhatsApp Business app on your phone stays active) enjoy two doors: your team can reply from the team inbox or straight from the phone — and each side sees the other. A reply typed on the phone shows up in the team inbox, so colleagues know the chat is being handled.
So why does it still count as unanswered?
Because replying and resolving are two different things. The system sees your phone reply, but it will not assume the conversation is finished — you might only be halfway through. So the conversation stays open, and for teams that genuinely finish everything from the phone, "needs a reply" notifications pile up even though everything is done.
The fix: one switch
- Open Settings in the dashboard.
- Find the "Replies from your phone" card (it only appears when your number uses side-by-side mode).
- Click Turn on.
From then on, every time you reply from the WhatsApp app on your phone, that conversation is automatically marked resolved in the team inbox — notifications stop piling up, and the open list only holds chats that are genuinely waiting for an answer.
Nothing is lost
- Customer replies again? The conversation reopens automatically — exactly like any other resolved conversation.
- History stays intact. Resolving only tidies the status; the full chat is still there, openable any time.
- Resolving waits about 20 seconds after your first phone reply — several replies in a row count as one.