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Inbox overview: conversations and realtime

Last updated: 16 July 2026

The Stravax Engage inbox is a shared team view of every conversation on your connected WhatsApp numbers, plus Messenger and Instagram DMs where those channels are enabled. Conversations are organized into folders, and new messages, status changes, and assignments appear in real time over a WebSocket connection, so agents never need to refresh the page.

How does the inbox update in real time?

Each WhatsApp number has its own realtime connection behind the scenes. When you open the inbox, your browser connects to that number's channel, and from then on, the moment a new message arrives, a status changes, or a conversation gets assigned, that event is pushed to every agent connected to the same number. You don't refresh to see it, it just appears.

These connections are designed to stay open cheaply. An idle browser tab keeps its connection open without costing anything extra, so leaving the inbox open all day has no real overhead.

How do presence indicators work?

Presence (online or away) rides the same connection as everything else. Your status is whatever your own client last reported, and the moment you disconnect, whether by closing the tab or losing your connection, you simply drop off the list. There's no separate status you manage by hand: presence is always a live read of who's actually connected right now, so it can't go stale.

Which channels show up in the inbox?

WhatsApp is the primary channel, but Messenger and Instagram direct messages also appear where your org has connected those accounts.

Channel Appears in the inbox Send from the inbox Window rule
WhatsApp Yes Yes The 24-hour customer-service window
Messenger Yes, incoming DMs Not yet available A plain 24-hour customer-service window
Instagram Yes, incoming DMs Not yet available A plain 24-hour customer-service window

Messenger and Instagram conversations use a straightforward 24-hour customer-service window, with no click-to-WhatsApp-style free-entry pricing attached. See the 24-hour window guide below for how that window works on WhatsApp.

What are folders for?

Folders give you a way to organize the conversations flowing into the shared inbox, rather than working from one long, undifferentiated list. As your team and message volume grow, folders keep the working queue manageable.

What else can I find in a conversation?

Conversations can carry voice notes, images, documents, interactive button and list messages, and a delivery status for each message you send.

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