Issue

In rare cases, the auto-close timer for Twilio Conversations using the WhatsApp channel does not consistently reset after consumer or agent interactions. Instead of extending the timer from the most recent activity, the conversation closes exactly after the original timer duration (e.g., 15 minutes) expires, regardless of intermediate message exchanges or successful timer update responses.

Product

Twilio Conversations Classic

Resolution

This behavior points to an edge case or race condition where timer updates fail to cancel a previously scheduled close event. To investigate and resolve this issue:

1. Audit Timer Updates: Check the timer history for the affected Conversation to confirm whether Timers.Closed updates were successfully processed or if the original close event remained active.
2. Verify Application Logic: Ensure that the application correctly updates conversation attributes (such as inactivityTimer and autoCloseAfter) upon new interactions. Review logs to identify the source of the update (e.g., API request, Node SDK, or Java SDK).
3. Escalate to Support: If the application is accurately sending timer reset requests but conversations are still closing based on the initial timer, escalate the issue to Twilio Support. Provide affected Conversation SIDs and relevant application logs to assist the engineering team in investigating potential backend race conditions.

As a best practice, always monitor terminal events to avoid prematurely closed conversations and ensure timer updates are handled appropriately by the application.

Additional Information

• States and Timers in Conversations (Classic)
• Conversation Lifecycle
• Best Practices for Flex Conversations
• Disabling the Default Inactive Timer in Twilio Conversations Classic