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Meta Permissions & App Review

Overview

Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp Cloud all run on Meta's platform, and Meta — not ConnectGain — decides what your business is allowed to do on them. Connecting the channel in ConnectGain takes a minute; getting Meta's permissions in place is the part that takes time.

This page explains what Meta requires, so you can start the slow parts early.

What Meta requires, by channel

Messenger Instagram WhatsApp Cloud
Admin of the Facebook Page Required Required (via the linked Page) —
Instagram Business account — Required, linked to a Page —
Meta Business account Recommended Recommended Required
Business verification Only past the free tier Only past the free tier Required
Phone number not on WhatsApp — — Required

Business verification

Meta verifies that your business is real before granting full messaging access. Expect to supply your legal business name, address, and a document such as a business licence or utility bill in the business's name.

Verification is done in Meta Business Suite → Business settings → Business info. It commonly takes a few business days and can be rejected for mismatches between your submitted details and public records — the most frequent cause is a trading name that differs from the registered legal name.

Start this before you need the channel live.

The 24-hour messaging window

This is the rule that surprises people most, and it applies to all three Meta channels.

Once a customer messages you, you have 24 hours to reply freely. After that window closes you cannot send a normal message until the customer writes again.

  • WhatsApp Cloud: outside the window you may only send a pre-approved message template. Templates are submitted to Meta and reviewed.
  • Messenger and Instagram: outside the window, regular messages are rejected.

ConnectGain enforces this before sending, so a message blocked by the window is Meta's rule rather than a fault in your setup.

The human agent permission

Meta has an additional permission that extends the Messenger window from 24 hours to 7 days, specifically so a human — rather than a bot — can follow up on a conversation.

It requires app review by Meta and is granted per app, not per business. If your messaging works inside 24 hours but fails after, this permission is usually what is missing. Contact ConnectGain support to check whether it applies to your setup.

Comment private replies

You can reply privately to someone who comments on a Facebook or Instagram post, but only once per comment. After that first private reply, further messages fail until the person replies to you.

This is a Meta restriction and is not configurable.

Common permission errors

What you see What it means
Connected, but no messages arrive The webhook subscription did not complete. Reconnect the channel from Settings → Channels
Channel went inactive on its own The access token expired. Reconnect — Settings → Channels shows a Reconnect prompt
Sending fails outside 24 hours The messaging window closed. Use a template (WhatsApp) or wait for the customer to write
Cannot connect the Instagram account It is a Personal or Creator account, or not linked to a Facebook Page. Convert it to a Business account and link it
Template rejected Meta reviews template content. Marketing wording in a utility template is the usual cause