## Overview

Beyond text, you can enrich a conversation with **attachments** (files, images, documents), **voice
messages** recorded on the spot, **emojis** and **reactions** to messages. The availability of each
feature depends on the channel: WhatsApp, for instance, supports most of them; other channels may vary.

## Prerequisites

- An open conversation in an inbox that supports the feature you want.
- For media, respect the channel's size and format limits.

## Step by step

1. **Attachments**: in the reply box, use the attach button to pick files from your computer (or drag and
   drop). Add a caption if you like and send. You can attach **several files at once**: on WhatsApp they
   go out **in sequence, in the order you picked them**, with the caption on the first media — exactly
   what the app does.
2. **Voice message**: use the microphone button and allow access when the browser asks. The bar shows
   **Recording** and the timer. You can pause and resume, discard with the trash button, or finish with
   the square button. When **Ready to send** appears, listen to the preview if you want and send it (or
   schedule it when message scheduling is available).
3. **Emoji**: open the emoji picker to add one to the reply text.
4. **Reactions**: on a computer, hover over or focus the message and use **React**. On a phone, tap the
   **More message actions** button beside the bubble and choose **React**. Then click or tap the reactions
   badge below the message to see **who reacted**, with per-emoji tabs and, in WhatsApp groups, each
   participant's name and avatar — just like the app.
5. Check the preview before sending.

## Settings & options

- **Dictate or record audio**: the **Dictate** button, shown as a person speaking, turns your speech into draft text. Stop dictation, review the transcript and send when ready. The **microphone** button records an audio message to preview and send to the contact.

- **Attachment types**: images, videos, audio, documents and other formats the channel accepts.
- **Video playback**: the original file is preserved for download. When needed, the platform prepares
  a browser-compatible MP4 copy in the background; the bubble reports that the video is being prepared
  during this period.
- **Captions**: many media types accept text alongside them.
- **Several attachments on WhatsApp**: WhatsApp has no multi-media message, so each file becomes its own
  message. The platform ships the whole sequence **in order**, with a short pause between them (WhatsApp
  connected through a device) so anti-flood limits are not tripped. The conversation shows one bubble per
  file — the same thing the customer receives.
- **Reactions**: depend on the source channel; not all support them.
- **Voice recording**: the recording bar temporarily replaces the other composer tools so every action
  stays on one row. Sending is enabled only after the audio is ready; if preparation fails, use
  **Try again** without losing the recording.
- **Who reacted**: click the reactions badge below the bubble to open the detail, with per-emoji tabs and
  the list of who reacted (name and avatar) — in groups, each participant; in 1:1 chats, the contact.
- **Reuse files**: when the Media module is available, you can re-send already-saved files without
  uploading again.

### View once (WhatsApp via device)

On WhatsApp conversations connected via device, the **eye** button in the reply box arms
**view once** per conversation: while it is on, photos, videos and voice notes you send — via direct
attach **or from the Media library** — reach the customer as view once (they disappear after opening,
like in the app).

- **Received**: when the customer sends a view once, WhatsApp **does not deliver the media to linked
  devices** (not even to official WhatsApp Web) — the panel shows the bubble
  "View once — can only be opened on the phone". Open it on the connected device to see it.
- **Sent from the phone**: they appear in the panel as "You sent a view once message".
- The behavior is controlled per inbox under **Inbox settings → Configuration →
  Capture view once media**.

## Use cases

- Send a receipt, a PDF manual or an illustrative image.
- Reply quickly with audio when writing it out would take too long.
- React to a customer's message to confirm receipt without cluttering the conversation.
- Send a sensitive document as **view once** so it is not saved to the customer's gallery.

## Tips, limits & best practices

- Respect the channel's **size/format limits** — large files may be rejected.
- Prefer PDF for documents and common image formats for photos.
- Use audio sparingly; many customers prefer text they can reread.

## Troubleshooting

- **The attachment failed**: check the size and format accepted by the channel and try again.
- **I can't react to a message**: the channel may not support reactions.
- **The audio didn't record**: check the browser's microphone permission.
- **The audio never became ready**: use **Try again** in the recording bar. If it keeps failing, check
  the connection and record a new take.
- **The video is unavailable**: download the original from the bubble. The file may have no usable
  video track or may not have been prepared within the safety limits.

### When an image is delayed or unavailable

A temporary read failure does not delete the message or its attachment. The interface retries loading for a limited period. When the stored bytes become available again, the conversation receives an update and retries even if the image address is unchanged; sending the message again is not required to trigger recovery.

If a thumbnail fails while its original file remains available, the platform can rebuild only that thumbnail. View-once media that WhatsApp did not release to the linked device keeps its specific notice and is not rebuilt this way.

If the problem persists, tell the administrator which conversation and message were affected and when. The diagnosis must distinguish a missing object from storage permissions or connection failures. Avoid deleting the attachment or repeatedly resending it before this check.

## See also

- [Replying, private notes and mentions](/hc/ajuda/articles/conversations-responder-notas-mencoes-en)
- [Canned responses with shortcuts](/hc/ajuda/articles/conversations-respostas-rapidas-en)
- [Advanced search for conversations and messages](/hc/ajuda/articles/conversations-busca-avancada-en)