How to Show Typing Indicators on WhatsApp

WhatsApp's typing indicators ("typing..." and "recording audio...") make bots feel more natural. whatsmeow-node gives you full control over these indicators with sendChatPresence().

Prerequisites

A paired whatsmeow-node session (How to Pair)

Step 1: Show "typing..."

await client.sendChatPresence(chatJid, "composing");

This shows the "typing..." indicator in the specified chat. The indicator clears automatically when you send a message.

Step 2: Show "recording audio..."

await client.sendChatPresence(chatJid, "composing", "audio");

The third parameter "audio" changes the indicator from "typing..." to "recording audio...".

Step 3: Clear the Indicator

await client.sendChatPresence(chatJid, "paused");

Use "paused" to explicitly clear the indicator without sending a message. This is useful when the bot decides not to reply after all.

info

The indicator clears automatically when you send a message. You only need "paused" to stop the indicator without sending anything.

Step 4: Simulate Realistic Typing

Instant indicators look robotic. Add a delay proportional to the message length:

async function typeAndSend(
  chatJid: string,
  text: string,
): Promise<void> {
  await client.sendChatPresence(chatJid, "composing");

  // ~50ms per character, clamped between 500ms and 3s
  const delay = Math.min(3000, Math.max(500, text.length * 50));
  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, delay));

  await client.sendMessage(chatJid, { conversation: text });
}

Step 5: Set Online/Offline Status

Before typing indicators work, your bot should be online:

// Set online — required for typing indicators to show
await client.sendPresence("available");

// Set offline when shutting down
await client.sendPresence("unavailable");

You can also watch when other users are typing:

// Subscribe to a user's online/offline presence
await client.subscribePresence(userJid);

// Online/offline changes
client.on("presence", ({ jid, presence, lastSeen }) => {
  console.log(`${jid}: ${presence}`);
});

// Typing/recording changes
client.on("chat_presence", ({ chat, sender, state, media }) => {
  const action =
    state === "composing"
      ? media === "audio" ? "recording audio" : "typing"
      : "stopped typing";
  console.log(`${sender} is ${action} in ${chat}`);
});

Complete Example

A bot that shows typing before every reply:

import { createClient } from "@whatsmeow-node/whatsmeow-node";

const client = createClient({ store: "session.db" });

client.on("message", async ({ info, message }) => {
  if (info.isFromMe) return;

  const text =
    (message.conversation as string) ??
    (message.extendedTextMessage as { text?: string } | undefined)?.text;
  if (!text) return;

  // Mark as read
  await client.markRead([info.id], info.chat, info.sender);

  // Show typing
  await client.sendChatPresence(info.chat, "composing");

  // Simulate typing delay based on reply length
  const reply = `You said: ${text}`;
  const delay = Math.min(3000, Math.max(500, reply.length * 50));
  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, delay));

  // Send — indicator clears automatically
  await client.sendMessage(info.chat, { conversation: reply });
});

async function main() {
  const { jid } = await client.init();
  if (!jid) {
    console.error("Not paired! See: How to Pair WhatsApp");
    process.exit(1);
  }
  await client.connect();
  await client.sendPresence("available");
  console.log("Bot is online with typing indicators!");

  process.on("SIGINT", async () => {
    await client.sendPresence("unavailable");
    await client.disconnect();
    client.close();
    process.exit(0);
  });
}

main().catch(console.error);

Common Pitfalls

Set online presence first

Typing indicators may not appear if you haven't called sendPresence("available") first. Always set your online status after connecting.

Instant indicators look robotic

Showing "typing..." and then replying instantly (in under 100ms) looks unnatural. Add a short delay proportional to the response length to simulate real typing.