Guide · WhatsApp Business app · For the shop that shows the item on camera

A quick video reply to a customer on WhatsApp: video notes up to 60 seconds, lock mode, who played it, and deleting one sent to the wrong chat

A customer asks whether the bag has an inside pocket, or what the fabric looks like in daylight. Typing an answer takes longer than showing it. WhatsApp's video notes are short videos you record inside the chat itself. This guide puts WhatsApp's Help Center articles on video notes in the order a shop needs them.

Published 15 October 2026

First: these pages are about WhatsApp in general

WhatsApp's Help Center files video notes under Chats, not under WhatsApp for Business. We read the articles on 15 October 2026, mostly in their Android view, and the delete article in its web and desktop view as well.

Our reading

The WhatsApp Business app uses the same chat screen, so we expect video notes to work the same way on your business number. The articles say nothing specific to businesses. Wherever this guide applies them to the WhatsApp Business app, read it as our reading, not as a separate promise from WhatsApp.

What a video note is

WhatsApp's article About video notes says they let you instantly record and share a video of up to 60 seconds directly in the chat. You can send one, or reply with one, in an individual chat or a group chat.

The same article says your video notes are private. Only you can forward your own video notes, and no one else can forward them to another WhatsApp chat.

Our reading

A video note suits a quick answer: the colour, the size against a hand, the box it comes in. A customer can't pass your video note on to another chat, but they can still see it, so it is still worth keeping what is in the background in mind.

Send one: hold the Camera icon

How to send video notes gives these steps:

1. Open the chat: The chat you want to send the video note to.
2. Press and hold Camera: Press and hold the Camera icon next to the text field. A timer counts down, then recording starts.
3. Switch cameras if you need to: You can switch between the front and back camera before or during the recording.
4. Let go: Lift your finger from Camera when you finish. The video note is sent automatically.

The article gives another way: tap Camera and swipe to the Video note tab, record, then tap Send. If the note is shorter than 60 seconds, you need to tap Stop before you can send it.

Lock mode: record without holding the button

How to send video notes says lock mode lets you record a video note without holding the button. To start it, press and hold Camera next to the text field, then slide it up towards the lock until the lock turns green. Tap Send to send the note.

Flip the camera: Tap Camera flip to switch between the selfie camera and the back camera. WhatsApp says recordings always start from the selfie camera.
Stop: Tap Stop to stop the recording.
Cancel: Tap the trash can to cancel the recording.
Send: Tap Send to send it to the chat.

Our reading

Lock mode is the one to use when you need both hands for the product. Lock first, flip to the back camera, then turn the item in your hands. Because recording starts on the selfie camera, the first moment shows your face, which is no bad thing in a reply to a customer.

Check it before it goes

WhatsApp's article How to preview video notes says you can preview a video note before sending it.

In lock mode: Tap Pause (two parallel lines in a circle) during the recording to switch to preview mode.
At one minute: Whether you are in lock mode or holding to record, the recording switches to preview mode by itself once it reaches one minute.
During the countdown: Tapping Pause during the countdown, before recording starts, cancels the recording and does not open preview mode.

Our reading

Holding and letting go sends the note straight away. If the price tag, a customer's order slip or a colleague might be in the frame, use lock mode and tap Pause, so you see the note before the customer does.

See who played it, and reply to one

How to send video notes says you can see if your recipients have played your video note. Press and hold your sent video note, then tap More options > Info. Recipients who have played it are listed under Played by.

To reply to a video note you received, press and hold it and tap Reply. To answer with a video note of your own, tap Video note reply next to the video note preview.

Our reading

Played by tells you the customer actually played the note, not only that the message arrived. In a group, it shows which members played it.

What the customer sees

How to play video notes says a video note you receive appears as a muted preview that plays by itself three times on loop. To play it, you tap or click the note: it gets bigger and plays from the beginning. Tapping it again, or scrolling away, pauses it. Tapping again resumes it.

Our reading

The first three plays are silent. Make the first seconds of the note show the thing the customer asked about, so the silent preview already answers the question.

Sent to the wrong chat: delete it

About video notes says that, as with other messages, you have a limited time to delete a video note for yourself or for everyone in the chat. It says Delete for everyone is useful if you sent a video note to the wrong chat, or if the note has a mistake in it.

Delete for me: Removes it for you only. The people you sent it to still see it in their chat.
Delete for everyone: Removes it from everyone's chat screen. In its place, you see 'You deleted this message'.
On the phone: Open the chat, tap and hold the video note, tap the trash can, then choose Delete for everyone or Delete for me.
On the computer: Click the menu arrow at the top right of the message, click Delete, then choose Delete for everyone or Delete for me. There is also a checkbox, Delete file from your phone, if you want it removed from your phone as well.

The video note articles don't say how long the limited time is. Deleting messages in general, and how long WhatsApp gives you, is in Keeping a record of customer chats on WhatsApp.

No sound on a video

WhatsApp's troubleshooting article Can't hear voice messages, status audio, call audio, or videos gives these checks:

Volume: Check the phone's volume isn't low or muted, and turn it up. WhatsApp adds that on vibrate only or silent there is no sound when playing a video status with audio or during a call.
Headphones: If your headphones have their own mute button or slider, check it isn't switched off.
Proximity sensor: WhatsApp uses the phone's proximity sensor to play audio through the earpiece when the phone is at your ear. Some screen protectors and cases can disrupt this, so check whether the sound is coming from the earpiece instead of the speaker.
Bluetooth: The sound may be playing on a Bluetooth device connected to your phone. If no wired audio device is plugged in, turn off Bluetooth in your phone's settings.

Our reading

A muted preview is normal. Silence after you tap the note is when these checks apply. Voice notes from customers are covered in Customer voice notes and other languages on WhatsApp.

When 60 seconds is not enough

WhatsApp's article Can't send longer videos says:

File size: The maximum file size for videos sent or forwarded through WhatsApp is 64MB on all platforms. On a faster internet connection the default video size limit is 100MB at 720p; on a slower one it is 64MB at 480p.
Trim it: You can trim the length of the video before sending it.
Send it as a Document: Choose Document and select the video. The maximum document size is 2 GB.
Lower the resolution: The longest video you can send depends on your phone's camera quality. You can record a lower-resolution video outside WhatsApp and send it with attach media.
Forward it: To send a video you received, forward it instead of sending it again.
Status: A video on Status can be up to 90 seconds.

The same article lists the supported video formats as 3GP, AVI, FLV, MKV, MOV and MP4.

Our reading

Use a video note for a quick answer in the chat, and a normal video or a Document for a full product demo you will send again and again. Choosing HD quality for product videos is in Sharp product photos, videos and price-list PDFs from the WhatsApp Business app.

What this means for your business

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center as we read it on 15 October 2026, and is not legal advice.

Our reading

Lock the recording, flip to the back camera, show the item, tap Pause to check it, then send. If it went to the wrong customer, Delete for everyone straight away, while the limited time still runs.

Questions

How long can a WhatsApp video note be?

Up to 60 seconds. WhatsApp says the recording switches to preview mode by itself once it reaches one minute.

How do I send a video note on WhatsApp?

Open the chat, press and hold the Camera icon next to the text field, wait for the countdown, record, and lift your finger to send. Or tap Camera, swipe to the Video note tab, record and tap Send.

Can I record a video note without holding the button?

Yes. Press and hold Camera, then slide up towards the lock until it turns green. In lock mode you can flip the camera, stop, cancel or send.

Can I use the back camera for a video note?

Yes. WhatsApp says you can switch between the front and back camera before or during the recording. In lock mode, recordings always start from the selfie camera, and you tap Camera flip to switch.

How do I know if the customer watched my video note?

Press and hold your sent video note, then tap More options > Info. Recipients who have played it are listed under Played by.

Can a customer forward my video note?

WhatsApp says only you can forward your own video notes, and no one else can forward them to another WhatsApp chat.

I sent a video note to the wrong chat. Can I delete it?

Yes, within a limited time. Tap and hold it, tap the trash can, and choose Delete for everyone. It is replaced with 'You deleted this message'. Delete for me leaves it on the other person's screen.

Who is BitByteCore?

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center, and is not legal advice.

Sources

WhatsApp Help Center: About video notes, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to send video notes, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to preview video notes, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to play video notes, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to delete a video note, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to delete a video note (Web and desktop view), read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: Can't hear voice messages, status audio, call audio, or videos, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: Can't send longer videos, read 15 October 2026.

This guide describes WhatsApp's pages as we read them, and is not legal advice. More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.

Want customer conversations in one place you own?

We set up a business's WhatsApp number on a system its team runs, so every customer conversation sits in one place the business owns. A short call is the easiest way to see how that would work for you.

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