# Channels overview > The messaging platforms you can connect, what each one needs, and how to keep channels healthy. Source: https://docs.message24.net/owners/channels/overview/ A channel is one place customers can message you: a Facebook Page, an Instagram account, a WhatsApp number, a Telegram bot, a TikTok account or a chat widget on your website. Every channel you connect feeds the same Inbox. ## Supported channels | Channel | What you need | Past conversations | | --- | --- | --- | | [Facebook Messenger](/owners/channels/facebook-messenger/) | Admin access to the Facebook Page | Recent conversations are imported | | [Instagram](/owners/channels/instagram/) | An Instagram professional (business) account | Recent conversations are imported | | [WhatsApp](/owners/channels/whatsapp/) | A WhatsApp Business account, or a number on the WhatsApp Business app | Chat history can sync when you link the WhatsApp Business app | | [Telegram](/owners/channels/telegram/) | A bot token from @BotFather | Only new messages | | [TikTok](/owners/channels/tiktok/) | A TikTok Business account | Recent conversations are imported | | [Website chat](/owners/channels/website-chat/) | Access to your website's code, or a developer | Only new messages | You can connect more than one of each: several Pages, several Instagram accounts, several WhatsApp numbers, several bots or several widgets. Each Page, account, number or bot can belong to only one Message24 business at a time. ## Add a channel 1. Go to **Settings > Channels** and select **Add Channel**. New businesses land on this page right after sign-up. 2. On **Add a Channel**, select **Connect** on the platform you want. 3. Follow the steps for that platform (links in the table above). Once a platform is connected, its button changes to **Add More Pages**, **Add More Accounts**, **Add More Numbers**, **Add Another Bot** or **Add Another Widget**. :::note Some channels can only be set up from a computer. If a card is greyed out and says **Desktop only**, sign in at message24.net in a desktop browser to connect it. If a card says **Unavailable**, try again later. ::: You need to be a business admin to connect most channels, to disconnect a channel or to change its label. ## Channel status Each channel in **Settings > Channels** shows a status badge: | Status | Meaning | | --- | --- | | **Ready** | Connected and working. | | **Syncing** | Importing your recent conversations right after you connected. The AI waits until this finishes. | | **Disconnected** | You turned the channel off. Nothing is sent or received, but your history is kept. | ## Channel health Under each channel a health line tells you whether messages are flowing. When everything is fine it reads **Active** with the time of the last activity. Otherwise you see one of these: | Message | What to do | | --- | --- | | Not connected, reconnect to start receiving messages | Select **Reconnect**. The connection was never completed. | | Connection expired, reconnect to resume sending and AI replies | Select **Reconnect**. The platform no longer accepts Message24's access to the account. | | Not receiving messages, reconnect to fix delivery | Select **Reconnect**. No messages have arrived since you connected. | | No activity received in over a week | Check that customers can still reach you. Reconnect if you expected messages. | | Still finishing setup | The import is taking longer than expected. If it doesn't clear, reconnect. | | Message24 isn't the receiving app | Meta is sending some conversations to another app connected to your Page or Instagram account. Select **How to fix**. See [Facebook Messenger](/owners/channels/facebook-messenger/#message24-isnt-the-receiving-app). | | Disconnected, reconnect to start receiving messages again | Select **Reconnect** when you want the channel back. | Telegram and website chat channels are not flagged for being quiet, because a new bot or widget has no traffic until you share it. ## Reconnect a channel Open the **...** menu on the channel and select **Reconnect channel**, or select **Reconnect** on the health line. What happens next depends on the platform: - **Facebook, Instagram and TikTok:** you are sent to the platform to sign in and approve access again. Sign in with an account that manages the Page or account. - **WhatsApp:** you go to **Add a Channel** and run the WhatsApp signup again with the same number. Message24 recognises the number and reconnects it. - **Telegram:** paste the bot token again. See [Telegram](/owners/channels/telegram/#reconnect-a-bot). - **Website chat:** a disconnected widget is switched back on straight away. ## Disconnect a channel 1. Open the **...** menu on the channel and select **Disconnect channel**. 2. Read the confirmation and select **Disconnect channel**. Disconnecting stops Message24 sending or receiving anything on that channel and removes the stored access. For Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok and Telegram, Message24 also asks the platform to stop delivering messages. Your conversations, messages, contacts and orders are kept and stay readable. Messages customers send while the channel is disconnected will not reach you. You can reconnect at any time. ## Label a channel If two channels have similar names, give one a label. Hover over the channel name in **Settings > Channels**, select the pencil icon, type a label and press Enter. The label is shown in place of the name, with the original name beside it. ## Choose who sees a channel Admins can limit a channel to certain team members. Open the **...** menu on the channel, select **Manage Access**, tick the members who should see it and select **Save Access**. See [Team and roles](/owners/account/team-and-roles/). ## AI behaviour per channel Whether the AI replies on a channel, and what it may do there, is set in **Settings > AI Settings**, not on the Channels page. Each channel has its own schedule, and its **More settings** panel has: - **Send product links**: the AI can link customers to a product page on your website. This needs a product page address under **Product links** first. - **Take orders**: the AI can collect a customer's order details and save them for you. - **Reply to comments on posts**: now set up under **Automations**. Not available on TikTok. See [AI settings](/owners/ai/ai-settings/) and [Automations](/owners/ai/automations/). ## Test channel To try the AI without a real account, use the **Try it out** tab in **Settings > AI Settings**. It creates a test channel that receives no customer messages and does not count as a connected channel.