What is warm-up?
Warm-up means starting a new or newly connected account with only a few new conversations a day and increasing slowly over a few weeks, so the platform sees normal behaviour rather than a sudden burst.
Also called: Account warm-up.
In plain words
Platforms watch for accounts that suddenly behave differently. An account that has been quiet and then starts dozens of new conversations in a day looks more like spam than like a busy business, even if every message is genuine.
Warm-up avoids that sudden jump. In the first days, the account starts only a handful of new conversations. Each week the number rises a little, until the account reaches its normal daily limit. People who message you can still be answered straight away, because replying is what any business account does.
Warm-up matters most for new numbers and profiles, and for accounts that have just been connected or reconnected. A WhatsApp number with a long history of real conversations is in a stronger position than a brand-new one.
Warm-up lowers risk. It cannot remove it, because each platform makes its own decisions about accounts on its service, so it works best alongside messages that people expect and are likely to answer.
How it works in Spaces
Spaces applies a warm-up to every account it connects, over four weeks. On WhatsApp, no new chats are started in the first 24 hours, then 3 a day for the rest of the first week, rising to 10 a day. On Instagram, new chats start at 8 a day in the first week.
Replies to people who message you are not held back by the warm-up, so customers get answers from the first day. If the agent tries to go over, Spaces holds the message, sends nothing and says when it can try again. The warm-up is the same for every account and cannot be skipped.
Related terms
- New conversation: A new conversation is a message you send to someone who has not written to you in that chat yet, as opposed to a reply in a conversation the other person started.
- Daily limit: A daily limit is the most messages, or new conversations, an account is allowed to send in one day before sending stops until the next day.
- Pacing: Message pacing means leaving a gap between messages and capping how many go out in an hour and a day, so an account sends at a speed a person could.
- Connected account: A connected account is one of your own messaging accounts, such as your WhatsApp number or Instagram profile, that you have linked to a service so an AI agent can read and reply to its conversations.
FAQ
How long does warm-up take in Spaces?
Four weeks from connecting. Each channel's limits page shows the steps week by week.
Does warm-up slow down replies to my customers?
No. It only limits new conversations you start. Replies in chats your customers started are not held back.
Does warm-up start again if I reconnect?
On WhatsApp, wait up to 24 hours after reconnecting before starting new chats. Replies can carry on.
Can I skip warm-up for an old account?
No. The warm-up is the same for every account, because a new connection is still a change the platform can see.
Does warm-up mean my account is safe?
It lowers the risk, but no tool can promise a platform will never restrict an account.
Useful next: Warm-up and limits by channel, WhatsApp limits, How to warm up a new WhatsApp number. Every term: the glossary.