Meet the inbox

The Inbox collects every DM conversation across your connected accounts. Each conversation wears a badge showing who’s handling it — the bot or a human — so you can scan the list and know exactly where automation ends and your attention is needed.

Automation and manual replies aren’t rivals here. Flows handle the volume; you step in for the moments that deserve a person.

Every conversation has a switch between Bot responding and Human takeover. While a human has it, automation is paused for that contact — only your manual replies go out. Flip Bot responding back on and flows resume.

The fastest way to take over is simply to type: sending a manual reply switches the conversation to human takeover automatically, so an automation never talks over you.

If a contact sends STOP, the conversation is marked DM opt-out: automated messages stop immediately and the bot switch locks, while manual replies stay available. This is a guardrail working, not a bug — it keeps your automation welcome and your account safe.

Contacts can opt back in themselves by sending START, and the inbox has a resume control for when someone asks you to turn automation back on. Use it only when they actually ask.

Instagram allows automated replies inside a window that opens each time a contact messages you — currently 24 hours. Once a conversation has gone quiet past the window, automation can’t reach that contact again until they message next; keep that in mind before promising a “we’ll follow up tomorrow.”

This is the one platform rule most worth internalizing early — the messaging limits guide covers the details.