## Contextual replies

Updated: Oct 21, 2025

Contextual replies are a special way of responding to a WhatsApp user message. Sending a message as a contextual reply makes it clearer to the user which message you are replying to by quoting the previous message in a contextual bubble:

![](https://support2.chatarchitect.com/uploads/images/gallery/2026-04/embedded-image-u8zyxpzw.png)

### Limitations

You cannot send a [reaction message](/books/meta-whatsapp/page/reaction-messages-developer-documentation) as a contextual reply.

The contextual bubble will not appear at the top of the delivered message if:

The previous message has been deleted or moved to long term storage (messages are typically moved to long term storage after 30 days, unless you have enabled [local storage](/books/meta-whatsapp/page/local-storage-developer-documentation)).You reply with an [audio](/books/meta-whatsapp/page/audio-messages-developer-documentation), [image](/books/meta-whatsapp/page/image-messages-developer-documentation), or [video message](/books/meta-whatsapp/page/video-messages-developer-documentation) and the WhatsApp user is running KaiOS.You use the WhatsApp client to reply with a [push-to-talk?](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ffaq.whatsapp.com%2F657157755756612%2F%3Fcms_platform%3Dweb&h=AT4kAP5uQvSKnebotwlin4EvyfFRxt3kiJ3HvwJviK4am8Y9O4M-oxZFtxH8dZcKmeszllR-UlE98pR3NVHVSjA4_ZKJMtNRgjVSX_TeDeItcXiXxqjJQa_6wNPf0vnyoBz2JoJoAMHLNVHaQI2zTg) message and the WhatsApp user is running KaiOS.You reply with a [template message](/books/meta-whatsapp/page/template-messages-developer-documentation).