The Message step: text, images, cards, carousels, buttons and quick replies

Last updated: 22 October 2026 · 7 min read

Steps

1. 1

   Content blocks

   Each block goes out as its own message, in order:

   • “Text”: up to 4000 characters, with “Bold”, “Link” and “Insert a variable”.
   • “Image”: “Upload an image” or “Image URL”, with an optional caption. With no image chosen, only the caption is sent.
   • “Card”: an image, a title and a description (each up to 80 characters), up to 3 buttons.
   • “Carousel”: up to 10 cards.
2. 2

   Buttons

   Add them with “+ Button”, up to 10 in the mobile app. Each is one of two kinds:

   • “Link”: opens an address starting with http:// or https://. With no link written, the button is not sent.
   • “Go to step”: takes the flow to the chosen step. “Create the next step” creates a step already connected to the button.
3. 3

   Quick replies

   Add them with “+ Quick reply”, up to 10. Each leads to a step.

4. 4

   What the mobile app shows

   • Link buttons are shown as links inside the text.
   • Step buttons, quick replies and the cards' step buttons all show together under the last text message as buttons. Together they may not pass 10, each label up to 120 characters; otherwise the flow does not publish.
   • SDK 1.0 has no card view: each card goes out as its image, then its title in bold, the description and the links.
   • A button or quick reply connected to no step is not shown in the app.
   • Only the latest message's buttons work.
   • A step with choices has the “Customer can't type” switch. See “Customer can't type: buttons and the Turn off typing step”.
5. 5

   Buttons or quick replies

   The hint in the panel is about Instagram and Messenger, where a button stays in the message and a quick reply disappears once tapped. In the mobile app both look the same to the customer: buttons under the message. In the web chat, WhatsApp QR, Telegram, LINE, TikTok and SMS a “Message” step sends only its text and images for now.

6. 6

   On Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp

   Buttons, quick replies, cards and carousels go out on these channels too, and the step waits for the customer's choice. A tap takes the flow to the right step; typing the name, or the number in a numbered list, works too.

   • Instagram and Facebook: a card goes as Meta's card (picture, title, text, up to 3 buttons), a carousel up to 10 cards. A card without a picture goes as text with buttons under it.
   • Instagram and Facebook: the step's buttons (up to 3) go under its last text as buttons. With quick replies as well, the buttons become quick replies too (up to 13; a name over 20 characters is cut), and link buttons are written into the text as addresses.
   • WhatsApp (Business API, 360dialog): a card goes as its picture, then the title, text and links, with its “Go to step” buttons under them. A carousel goes card by card. Buttons and quick replies go together: up to 3 of up to 20 characters as buttons, up to 10 as a list, more as a numbered list. Links are written into the text.
   • If there is no text above the choices (the step ends with a picture or a card), they go as a numbered list. “Check” shows this.
7. 7

   Link card

   “Link card” is a step of its own: a title, a description, an image and at least one button. With a “Go to step” button it waits for the choice; with only link buttons the card goes out and the flow moves on. This is how a “Back to the main menu” button is built.