Does a WhatsApp AI Agent Answer With Your Computer Off?
A WhatsApp AI agent only answers if something is connected to your number. Here is what keeps it connected when your computer is off.
Daniel Roth3 min read
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You set up an agent to answer customers on WhatsApp, then you close the laptop. Does it still reply? It depends on where the agent's WhatsApp connection lives.
Does the agent answer when my computer is off?
If the agent runs on a Blueticks Gateway, yes. The Gateway keeps your WhatsApp connection on Blueticks' servers instead of in your browser, so the agent keeps answering WhatsApp messages while your computer is off.
If it runs through WhatsApp Web, it replies only while WhatsApp Web is open on your computer.
What is a Gateway?
It is your own WhatsApp number linked to a server instead of to a browser tab. You link it once by scanning a QR code from your phone's Linked Devices screen, the same step as WhatsApp Web. After that the connection does not depend on your computer. The engine management guide has the steps.
How do I get a Gateway?
The Gateway is part of the Blueticks Pro plan, which is $50 per user per month, or $45 per user per month billed yearly. See the current plans for what each includes.
What does the agent do while you are away?
The same as when you are at your desk. It answers from the instructions you wrote, and it hands the chat to you in the cases you set. Nothing changes about its limits, so test it first. The chatbot setup guide and what an agent should never do cover that.
Your phone matters too. WhatsApp logs out every linked device if the phone stays unused for more than 14 days, a Gateway included. If that happens, scan the QR code again.
For scheduled sends rather than replies, see what sends when your phone or computer is off.
FAQ
Do I need to keep WhatsApp Web open on a Gateway?
Not once the Gateway is linked. The connection lives on the server.
Does my phone need to be on?
No. Linked devices work without your phone connected. Just use the phone at least once every 14 days so WhatsApp keeps the link.
Will the agent answer anything, any time?
It answers from your instructions, in the chats you allow. A question your instructions do not cover can get a vague answer or a hand-off to you.
