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Receiving messages

Fix inbound messages not appearing in inbox, wrong handler routing, and read statistics.

4 min read

Use this guide when customer messages are not reaching your inbox, autoreply, or webhook.

Inbound messages not appearing in inbox

Check the inbound handler on the device:

Each WhatsApp, WABA, and Telegram device has exactly one inbound mode. Open the device edit dialog and confirm On incoming message matches where you expect to see replies:

SettingWhere messages go
AutoreplyRuns keyword rules under Autoreply → Rules
FlowRuns the linked conversation flow
SpreadsheetLooks up the reply in a linked Google Sheet
WebhookPosts JSON to your endpoint — does not save to inbox

If On incoming message is set to Webhook, messages do not appear in the dashboard inbox. Switch to Autoreply (or another handler) if you need inbox visibility. See Webhooks if the webhook itself is the issue.

WhatsApp inbox shows no messages

  1. Open Channel → WhatsApp → Inbox.
  2. Confirm the correct Device is selected in the filter — each device has its own message history.
  3. Confirm the device Status is connect on Channel → WhatsApp → Devices. Disconnected devices do not receive inbound traffic.
  4. Confirm On incoming message is not set to Webhook on this device (see above).
  5. Send a test message from a real phone to the WhatsApp number and wait a few seconds, then refresh Inbox.

Telegram bot not receiving messages

  1. Open Channel → Telegram → Devices and confirm the bot row exists and was registered successfully.
  2. Check that the person messaging the bot sent to the correct @username.
  3. Open Channel → Telegram → Inbox — messages appear here when the device uses Autoreply, Flow, or Spreadsheet as the inbound handler.
  4. If the inbox is empty and no autoreply fires, open Edit on the device row and confirm On incoming message is not set to Webhook (unless you intend webhook delivery).

WABA inbound not routing correctly

  1. Open Channel → WABA → Devices and click Edit on the number.
  2. Under When someone messages you, confirm the handler is what you expect (Autoreply, Flow, Spreadsheet, or Webhook).
  3. Open Channel → WABA → Inbox and filter by the number — if messages appear there, the device received them; the handler setting controls what happens next.
  4. WABA devices use Autoreply or Flow for rule-based responses. For webhook delivery, see Webhooks.

Autoreply not replying to inbound messages

  1. Open Autoreply → Rules and confirm at least one rule is Active for the device in question.
  2. Check the Keyword and Logic (exact, contains, starts with, ends with) — test with a message that exactly matches the rule condition.
  3. Confirm the rule is linked to the correct device. A rule linked to device A does not fire for device B.
  4. If autoreply is active but the reply is not going out, open Channel → WhatsApp → Logs (or the relevant channel log) and look for the send row — it may have failed for quota or plan reasons. See Sending messages.

Read count is always 0 in Statistics

Read receipts depend on the channel and recipient settings:

  • WhatsApp — read receipts are not guaranteed; 0 is expected in many setups.
  • WABA — read receipts require Message status webhooks. Enable the event on Webhooks → Webhook and see Message status payload.
  • Telegram — read status is not reported.
  • Email — open tracking is on Channel → Email → Statistics, not Logs → Statistics.
Last updated: July 2, 2026
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