Currently, links sent through WhatsApp conversations in Intercom appear only as plain URLs. They do not generate the rich previews users normally expect in WhatsApp, such as:
• A preview image or thumbnail
• The page title and description
• Open Graph metadata (og:title, og:description and og:image)
• A YouTube thumbnail and video preview
This makes links sent through Intercom less visual and engaging than links sent directly from WhatsApp or through other platforms.
Expected behaviour
When an agent, workflow, Fin, or WhatsApp template sends a supported URL, Intercom should allow WhatsApp to generate its native rich link preview.
For example:
• A Help Center article should display its title, description and featured image.
• A product page should display its Open Graph image and metadata.
• A YouTube link should display the video thumbnail and title.
• The agent should ideally be able to preview the resulting card before sending the message.
This should work for:
• Manual replies from the Inbox
• Workflows and automated messages
• Fin-generated responses
• WhatsApp message templates, where supported by Meta
• Help Center article links inserted from the Inbox
It would also be useful to provide an option to enable or disable the preview for each message.
Why this matters
Rich previews make links easier to identify, increase trust and improve click-through rates. They also create a more consistent experience between native WhatsApp conversations and conversations managed through Intercom.
Related community requests include “Ability to link Help Centre articles in WhatsApp conversations”, “Is it possible to insert images in WhatsApp templates on Intercom?” and “Be Able to Preview Workflows for WhatsApp in Intercom”. These address parts of the same problem, but do not specifically cover automatic rich previews for external links and YouTube videos.