Message Types
Every message in MonoChat has a type. Text, images and voice notes work on almost every channel; richer types depend on what the channel itself supports. This page explains the types you will meet in the chat screen, which channels support them and where you can send them from.
Where you send messages from
| Place | What you can send |
|---|---|
| Message box in the chat screen | Text, emoji, voice notes, files (images, video, documents, audio, depending on the channel), short messages and, on WhatsApp Business API channels, template messages. See Chat Screen. |
| Send Message flow node and short messages | Text, Image, Video, Document, Sticker, Button, List, CTA Url, Location Request and Contact Info Request. Only the types the channel supports are offered. See Flows. |
| Send Comment flow node | A public reply to an Instagram, Facebook or TikTok comment. |
| Template messages | Approved WhatsApp templates, including carousel templates. See Template Messages. |
| Apps, functions and the API | Any type the channel supports, for example carousels. |
What each channel supports
The table shows the main types MonoChat can send on each channel. Every channel can receive text and media.
| Type | WhatsApp Cloud | WhatsApp Gupshup | Messenger | TikTok | Telegram | Twilio SMS | Messages API | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text, image | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Video, audio | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Document | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Buttons | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| List | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Carousel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| CTA Url | ✓ | |||||||
| Location request | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Contact info request | ✓ | |||||||
| Reactions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Poll | ✓ |
Carousel
A carousel is a row of cards the customer swipes through. Each card has an image or video, a title, an optional subtitle and buttons (open a web link or send a reply). In the chat screen, carousels show as a swipeable strip inside the message bubble.
- WhatsApp Cloud supports interactive carousel messages and carousel templates. Carousel cards in a template have their own variables, which you fill in on the template's Variables form.
- Instagram, Messenger and Messages API channels also support carousels.
When the customer taps a reply button on one of the cards, their reply quotes the carousel and MonoChat shows the card they picked, so you can see which product or option they chose without scrolling back.
Carousels cannot be written in the message box. They are sent by templates, apps, functions and integrations.
Posts and reels
When a customer shares an Instagram or Facebook post or reel with you in a direct message, MonoChat shows the media (a video plays in place), the caption and a Post details link that opens the original post.
Story replies and mentions
On Instagram, a customer can answer one of your stories or mention you in theirs.
- A story reply shows the story together with the label This is a reply to the story and the customer's text.
- A story mention shows the story the customer mentioned you in.
Stories expire on Instagram after 24 hours, so their media may no longer load later.
Comments and comment replies
Comments on your Instagram, Facebook and TikTok posts arrive in MonoChat as Comment sessions. You can find them with the Comment session type filter. A comment message shows the post (media, caption and a Post details link) and the comment text.
Answering a comment in the chat screen
- Open the comment session.
- Click Reply under the comment.
- Choose one of:
- Reply as Comment: your answer is posted publicly under the comment.
- Reply as DM: your answer goes to the customer as a private message. This option is disabled once the comment has already been answered by DM.
- Type your answer in the message box and send it.
Answering comments automatically
Use the Send Comment node in a flow that starts on an incoming comment (for example a New Message Received trigger).
- Add a Send Comment node.
- Optionally switch on Show Active Channels to list only the channel types you have connected.
- Under Set comment, click a channel (Instagram, Messenger or TikTok) and write the reply. You can add a version per language; MonoChat uses the customer's language.
- Connect the node's outputs.
The node replies publicly to the comment that triggered the flow. It fails (and follows the failure output) when the trigger message is not an incoming comment or when the channel cannot answer comments.
Polls
A poll shows a question with its options. Polls can be sent and answered on Telegram; the customer's choice arrives as a Poll Reply message.
Contact info request
On WhatsApp Cloud channels you can ask the customer to share their contact details with one tap.
- In a flow, add a Send Message node and choose the Contact Info Request type, then write the message text (per language).
- In a WhatsApp template, use a button of type
REQUEST_CONTACT_INFO.
The customer sees your text with a button. When they tap it, WhatsApp sends their contact card back to you. This is also a reliable way to learn the phone number of a customer who writes to you with a WhatsApp username (see WhatsApp Identity).
Location Request works the same way and asks the customer to share their location (WhatsApp Cloud and Gupshup, Messages API).
Link previews
When a text message consists of a single link, MonoChat fetches the page's title, description and image and shows them as a preview card under the message. Click the card to open the link.
Edited messages (WhatsApp)
On WhatsApp Cloud channels, customers can edit a message after sending it. MonoChat applies the edit to the message and to the quoted copy in any reply, and adds an Edited label next to the time.
Click Edited to see the Edit history: every version with its date, the newest marked Current.
Reactions
Reactions are emoji responses to a single message.
- When the customer reacts to a message, the emoji appears under that message.
- To react yourself, hover over a message and click the smiley icon, then pick an emoji. Only the emojis the channel accepts are offered. Click your reaction again to remove it.
Reactions are available on WhatsApp Cloud and Gupshup, Instagram and Telegram. In flows, the New Reaction Received event lets you act on a customer's reaction.