Channel pages · Instagram
Instagram DM Menu
Ice breakers are up to four questions offered when someone opens a new chat. They are the first thing a new contact sees, so they work best as the questions you already answer most.
On this screen
In the order the tour shows them.
What people see before they type
Ice breakers are up to four questions offered when someone opens a new chat. They are the first thing a new contact sees, so they work best as the questions you already answer most.
Each one sends a payload, not text
Tapping an ice breaker sends its payload. Match that payload in a Button-tapped automation and the answer arrives instantly, every time, without a keyword having to be typed correctly.
The menu that stays
The persistent menu is available throughout the conversation, not only at the start — up to five items, each a link or a payload. Put the things people ask for mid-conversation here: talk to a human, where is my order.
Ideas you'll meet
The same explanations the ⓘ marks give in the app.
- ice breakers
- The questions offered before anyone has typed anything. They are the first thing a new contact sees, so they work best as the questions you already answer most. Read the guide →
- the 24-hour window
- You can reply freely for 24 hours after the person's last message. Your own messages don't extend it — the clock only restarts when they write again. Read the guide →
Guides
The longer reads behind this screen.
- Messenger automation for a Facebook Page: the rulesWhat you need on the Page to connect it, how the 24-hour window and the human agent tag work, and what ice breakers and the menu do.5 min · platform rules checked 2026-09-07
- What Instagram DM automation is actually allowed to doThe Instagram rules that decide whether your automation works: professional accounts, what comment replies can do, and where the official API stops.2 min · platform rules checked 2026-08-27
Common questions
Why can't I connect my Facebook Page?
Almost always because the account connecting does not hold a role on the Page that includes managing messages. Meta grants the permission through that role, and having created the Page — or being able to post to it — is not the same thing. Check the Page's roles first.
How long is the Messenger messaging window?
24 hours from the person's last message to the Page. Your own replies do not extend it. Outside the window only a message carrying a tag Meta recognises for a narrow purpose will send, or a human agent reply within seven days.
What is the human agent tag?
A tag that extends the window to seven days so a person can follow up on something that needed looking into. It is for a human's reply, and using it for automated sending is what gets an app's access to it revoked.
How many ice breakers can a Page have?
Up to four. Each sends a payload when tapped rather than typed text, which is what lets a button-tapped automation answer it reliably. The same feature exists on Instagram DMs through the same platform.
Can I automate DMs on a personal Instagram account?
No. Instagram only exposes messaging to apps for Business and Creator accounts. Switching is free and takes about a minute in Settings.
Can I send Instagram DMs to my followers automatically?
No. There is no supported way to message people who have not interacted with you. Tools that offer it are automating the app rather than using the API, and the risk lands on your account.
Is Instagram DM automation against the rules?
Not when it runs on the official Meta Graph API and replies to people who contacted you. What breaks the rules is unsolicited outreach and tools that sign in as you.
Can an automation reply to comments and send a DM?
Yes. A comment can trigger a public reply, a DM, or both, because the person interacted with you first.