> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documents.xobito.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Conversations

> Open, reply to, and search WhatsApp conversations in the Live Inbox.

A **conversation** is the full back-and-forth between your business and one contact, across every channel Xobito supports (campaigns, bots, and manual agent replies). This page covers the day-to-day actions you'll do dozens of times a day.

## Open a conversation

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to the inbox">
    Click **Chat** in the left sidebar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a conversation">
    Click any row in the conversation list on the left. The full message thread loads in the middle panel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Scroll back in history">
    Scroll up in the thread to load older messages. Xobito keeps the complete history — nothing expires.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Reply inside the session window

When the session indicator is **green**, you can send any type of message.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Text">
    Type in the composer and press **Enter** (or click the send button). Shift+Enter inserts a line break.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Emoji">
    Click the smiley icon to open the emoji picker, or use native shortcuts like `:)` if your OS supports them.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Image">
    Click the attachment icon → **Image**, or drag & drop directly into the thread. Supported: JPG, PNG, WebP up to 5MB.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Video">
    Attachment icon → **Video**. Supported: MP4, 3GPP up to 16MB.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Document">
    Attachment icon → **Document**. Supported: PDF, DOCX, XLSX, TXT up to 100MB.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Audio / voice note">
    Press and hold the microphone icon to record a voice note, or attach an MP3 / OGG file up to 16MB.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Canned reply">
    Click the canned-reply icon (chat-bubble icon, next to the paperclip) in the composer. The picker opens — search by title and click a reply to insert it exactly as written. See [Canned Replies](/ai-features/canned-replies).
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Snippet file="callout-session-window.mdx" />

## Reply outside the session window

If the session indicator is **grey**, free-form messages won't go through. You need to send a **template message** instead.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click 'Send Template'">
    The button sits next to the composer when the session is closed.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a template">
    Choose from your approved templates. Only active / approved templates are selectable.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in variables">
    If the template has `{{1}}`, `{{2}}`… enter the values for this specific customer. Xobito can auto-fill from contact fields if you've configured it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    When the recipient replies to the template, a new 24-hour session window opens and you can reply freely again.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Every template message is a **billable conversation** with Meta. Xobito shows the cost in your campaign and billing reports.
</Note>

## Reply with a media template

Some templates include a header image, video, or document. When you pick one, Xobito shows a preview of the header — there's nothing extra to attach, since the media is baked into the approved template.

## Sending to groups

The Live Inbox is for **one-to-one** conversations. To send the same message to many contacts at once, use a [Campaign](/campaigns/overview) instead.

## Search conversations

Above the conversation list, use the search bar to find a specific chat by:

* Contact name
* Phone number (with or without country code)
* Group or status

Press **Enter** to apply. Clear the search to go back to the default sorted list.

<Tip>
  For complex filtering (e.g. "all conversations in the VIP group assigned to a specific agent"), use the filter popup above the list instead of search.
</Tip>

## Search inside a conversation

Open a conversation, then click the magnifying-glass icon in the thread header. Type a word or phrase — Xobito highlights every occurrence and lets you jump between matches.

This is invaluable for:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Finding a shared link" icon="link">
    The customer sent you a URL three days ago and you need it now.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Order-number lookups" icon="hashtag">
    Quickly locate "Order #12345" in a long support thread.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Previous promises" icon="handshake">
    "Didn't we agree to a 10% refund?" — search "refund" and see exactly what was said.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Audit & compliance" icon="clipboard-check">
    Scrolling back to verify specific language used in a conversation.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Notes on a contact

Notes about a contact are stored on their **contact record** (Contacts → click the contact → Notes tab), not inline in the chat thread. Anyone with contact-view permission can read them. See [Add a contact → Notes](/contacts/add-contact#notes).

## Mark a conversation as read

Once you're done replying, click **Mark as read** to clear the unread badge. The conversation stays in the list and any new incoming message will bump it back to the top with a fresh unread badge.

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Assign agents" icon="user-tag" href="/chat/assign-agents">
    Route conversations to the right teammate.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Chat settings" icon="gear" href="/chat/chat-settings">
    Auto-clear, sounds, stop-bot keywords, auto-lead.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>