Meta has a response window policy when responding to Instagram Direct Messages (DMs). This ensures timely communication with your audience and helps maintain a positive user experience.
Default Meta Guideline: Meta encourages businesses to respond to user DMs within 24 hours for the best possible user experience.
Vista Social Exception: Vista Social is officially approved for an extended 7-day messaging window. This means you can respond to incoming messages up to 7 days after they are received.
After 7 days, the conversation window is considered closed, and Vista Social (or any other tool) will no longer be able to send replies to that specific message thread.
Why the 24-hour expectation still matters
Although Vista Social users have a 7-day window, Meta still promotes the 24-hour response time to ensure users receive timely support. Prompt replies also help increase engagement and build trust with your audience.
What will happen if I reply after 7 days have passed?
If you try to reply after the 7-day window has passed, Instagram's API will block the response, and you might encounter this error:
Instagram only allows business to respond to a message within 7 days. After this period the messaging window is considered closed.
This means the system is no longer permitted to send messages in that thread through third-party platforms like Vista Social. At that point, you'll need to reply directly on Instagram or wait for the user to message you again to reopen the window.
Need further help?
If you have any questions or need additional help, feel free to contact our awesome support team. We are here to assist you! 💙
Related Reading:
How to use internal notes in Inbox
Sign up now and try Vista Social for 14 days, free!