Channels and customer media

Choose the channels you need

Iris supports customer conversations on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and your website. Each channel is connected separately in the business dashboard. Connecting one does not grant access to the others.

These connections deliver customer messages. Connecting an external CRM, booking API or other tool is a different task: use Actions and external systems. An email address supplied during signup is a contact detail, not an enabled email-reply channel.

Connect Instagram

1. Sign in to Flowlith and select the correct business.
2. Open Connections → Connect Instagram. Allow the Instagram popup.
3. Sign in to the intended business or creator account. A personal account is not the supported connection type.
4. Approve the account and messaging permissions shown by Instagram.
5. Return to Flowlith and wait for verification. Check the displayed username and Connected status.
6. Save About business, complete any account review, and launch Iris from Home if it is not already launched.
7. Send a harmless DM from a separate customer account and confirm an actual reply, then ask a follow-up.

This uses Instagram Login. You do not need to connect a Facebook Page just to connect Instagram. Connecting Instagram does not also connect Messenger.

If access is revoked or expires, reconnect through Connections. A successful connection today is not a guarantee that Instagram access will remain valid indefinitely. Never send your Instagram password or access token through chat or support.

Connect Messenger

1. Open Connections → Connect Messenger in the intended business workspace.
2. Complete Facebook sign-in with an account authorized to manage the intended Page and its messaging access.
3. Approve the requested Page and messaging permissions. If multiple Pages are available, choose the one customers should message.
4. Select Connect selected account if the dashboard shows an account picker.
5. Wait for confirmation and check that the correct Page name is displayed.
6. Launch Iris separately if needed, then send the Page a message from a separate customer account and check the reply.

If the Page is missing, review the signed-in Facebook account and granted Page access. Messenger connects a Page, not your personal Facebook inbox.

Website conversations

Your website sends messages through your own backend to the Flowlith API. The business API key stays on your server, never in a script tag, browser bundle or public repository. Creating a key is not the same as installing a chat widget.

Use the website integration guide for authentication, customer identity, streaming replies and reconnects. The embed example shows the browser-to-your-server boundary. A website-only business does not need a Meta account.

What is shared, and what stays separate?

Your business instructions and shared knowledge help Iris answer across the connected channels. Customer conversation history is scoped to that customer’s channel conversation. Iris does not automatically decide that an Instagram user, a WhatsApp number and a website visitor are the same person.

Do not put individual customer details in shared About business or Memory notes. Use an approved external system for customer-specific records, with appropriate access and verification. See how Iris works.

Photos

Customers can send up to three photos per message, with each photo no larger than 4 MiB. Supported image types are JPEG, PNG, WebP and GIF. Send smaller images or send them separately if not all are read.

A useful caption tells Iris what to look for:

This is the bouquet style I like. Can you suggest something similar
for pickup on Friday? Please check availability before confirming.

Photo understanding is not proof of payment, identity or stock availability. For an important number, address or reference, ask the customer to type it and verify it in the relevant business system.

Voice notes

Iris uses the first voice clip in a message. Keep clips within the applicable limit:

Supported audio formats are OGG/Opus, MP3, M4A/MP4, WAV, WebM and FLAC. Raw AAC and AMR clips are not supported. Renaming a file does not convert it into another format.

Use short, clear recordings. If the clip is too large, unsupported or cannot be understood, the customer may be asked to type the message or resend it. A voice reply test should use the same channel and kind of clip your customers will actually send. The website API reports its errors through its response stream; follow the API guide rather than repeatedly generating new message IDs.

These limits describe incoming voice notes, not a promise that Iris will send an audio reply.

Customer documents, where available

Document reading is an optional capability. Confirm it is enabled for your business before relying on it. It applies to customer file attachments on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, not website API file uploads or owner setup uploads.

• Send one file per message, no larger than 20 MiB. If several files arrive together, only the first is considered.
• Supported reading formats are PDF, DOCX, XLSX/XLSM, ODT/ODS, CSV and plain text. For a presentation or old Office file, export it to PDF first.
• Spreadsheet macros are not run. Formula cells can be blank; provide their values when they matter.
• Scanned pages and images depend on the available reading capability and scan quality. If they cannot be read, send clearer pages or type the important details.
• Very long files can be read only in part. Pay attention if Iris says pages or content were omitted.
• Document reading does not add an extra Flowlith reply credit charge; the normal reply credit still applies.

Please read the attached product list and tell me whether it mentions
the blue ceramic mug. Do not treat this file as proof of current stock.

A customer’s file is reference material, not authorization to issue a refund, confirm payment or change business settings. Keep sensitive documents out of test conversations unless they are needed and you have permission to use them.

Do not assume every attachment is understood

Video, stickers, location shares and other unsupported attachment types are not equivalent to a readable photo or document. Iris may know that such a message arrived without understanding its contents. Ask for a supported attachment or typed details instead.

Disconnect, reconnect and test again

To change an account, use Disconnect for that channel before connecting another. Review the confirmation: a reply already in progress may finish. Disconnecting one channel leaves the other channels and business details in place; it does not delete the provider account.

After changing a channel, test a fresh message and follow-up from a real customer-side account. Keep connected, launched, and delivered as separate checks. For help, use Home → Report an issue and follow the troubleshooting guide, without sharing credentials or private customer data.