Support
FAQ
Short answers to common questions.
Does PaalChat store message text?
Yes, encrypted, as each business's conversation history: PaalChat keeps contacts, conversations and the content of every message sent or received. Content is emptied after 365 days by default (per-business retention policies are coming); the message itself - status, times, who it was with - stays. PaalTech operators see conversation details but never message content.
Text also passes briefly through:
| Where | What | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Send queue | Your outgoing message, until Meta accepts it | Until sent (a job that crashes is kept in the failed-job list) |
| Webhook log | Meta's delivery, including incoming text | Emptied 3 days after processing; 14 days if processing failed |
| Callback outbox | The event sent to your callback URL | Deleted 3 days after it was queued; 14 days if delivery failed |
Everything is encrypted at rest. Keep your own copy of anything you must hold longer, under your own retention rules.
Who pays Meta?
The business, directly, through the payment method on its WhatsApp Business Account. Meta charges per delivered message; PaalChat never bills for Meta messages. See WhatsApp pricing.
Can I create templates through the API?
Yes - Create template submits it to Meta for review, and the
decision arrives as a template.status callback. Templates made in WhatsApp Manager are
synced too.
Can I download incoming images and documents?
Yes, for businesses with media enabled. PaalChat downloads each attachment from Meta and
stores it; message.received carries its media_id and media.updated follows with a
short-lived link. See Media.
The API accepted my text message but it failed with 131047. Why?
The 24-hour window closed between queueing and sending, or the customer's last message reached PaalChat late. Use a template.
Can two products share one WhatsApp number?
No. A WhatsApp account and its numbers belong to one business on PaalChat.
What happens if Meta is down?
Sends are retried while Meta throttles; other Meta failures fail the message with Meta's reason. Meta's webhooks are stored and processed when things recover, and your callbacks follow.
Is there a sandbox?
Not yet. Use a staging product and Meta's test number - see Testing.
Where do I get a token or a callback secret?
From a PaalChat operator at PaalTech. Both are shown once.
Is there a status page?
Yes: /status shows the API, callbacks, WhatsApp sending and receiving, and the console and inbox, with incidents of the last 90 days. Machines can read /status.json.