Tera Chat Autopilot: replies ready to send, and the safety controls
How Tera Chat Autopilot works: off until you turn it on per chat, replies wait in Pending drafts, quiet hours, limits, an emergency stop, and auto-send explained.
The short answer
- Autopilot is off until you turn it on for a single chat (or a platform), and it isn't available for iMessage.
- By default Autopilot writes replies ready to send: each one waits in Pending drafts until you edit, dismiss or send it with one click.
- Safety controls include quiet hours (on by default, 10 pm to 8 am, though not on Tinder), a conversation cooldown, and an emergency stop called Disable all autopilot.
- Sending automatically is a separate per-chat Auto-send switch marked Beta, which warns that Tinder's and Hinge's terms don't allow third-party AI tools; keep it off on dating apps.
- On built-in AI, every Tera Chat AI plan includes Autopilot: AI Plus in up to 5 chats, AI Pro and AI Max in every chat. With your own ChatGPT account through Codex it doesn't need a plan.
Tera Chat’s Autopilot writes replies for the chats you choose and, by default, leaves them ready to send: each one waits in Pending drafts until you edit it, dismiss it or send it with one click. It’s off until you turn it on for a single chat (or a platform), it isn’t available for iMessage, and it comes with quiet hours (10 pm to 8 am by default), rate limits and an emergency stop. Sending automatically is a separate per-chat Auto-send switch marked Beta that warns about Tinder’s and Hinge’s terms; keep it off on dating apps.
This guide explains how Autopilot works, how to turn it on for one chat, how to review its drafts, every safety control, what auto-send is and why it should stay off on dating apps, which plan it needs, and what to check when it doesn’t behave as expected. If you only want an away message while you’re busy, see how to auto-reply to texts and WhatsApp.
How does Autopilot work?
In short:
- You choose the chat. Nothing happens until you turn Autopilot on for a conversation.
- It drafts replies when new messages arrive in that chat, in your texting style.
- The draft waits for you in Pending drafts, ready to send with one click. Nothing goes out unless you send it.
- It asks when it doesn’t know. If a reply depends on a fact about you that Tera Chat doesn’t have, the chat shows Needs you and the question waits in the Alert Center.
- Guardrails apply throughout: quiet hours, a cooldown between replies in a conversation, and an emergency stop.
What do you need to use Autopilot?
- An AI source. Either your own ChatGPT account connected through Codex (no plan needed), or any Tera Chat AI plan on built-in AI: AI Plus ($9.99 a month) runs Autopilot in up to 5 chats, and AI Pro ($19.99) and AI Max ($49.99) in every chat. Claude and Grok API keys aren’t used for Autopilot. Use your ChatGPT account or a Claude or Grok API key with Tera Chat covers the Codex setup, and Tera Chat AI plans explained compares the plans.
- A supported network. WhatsApp, Telegram and Instagram chats can each be switched on individually. iMessage isn’t supported.
How to turn Autopilot on for one chat
- Open the conversation.
- In the chat header, find the button that reads Auto-reply Off.
- Click it so it reads Auto-reply On.
From then on, the button shows what Autopilot is doing in that chat:
| Button shows | What it means |
|---|---|
| Auto-reply Off | Autopilot isn’t active in this chat |
| Auto-reply On | Autopilot will draft replies to new messages here |
| Replying… | It’s writing a draft now |
| Reply queued | A reply is lined up and waiting its turn |
| Needs you | It hit a question only you can answer |
| Emergency stopped | All Autopilot is paused by the emergency stop |
To turn it off, click the button again. Settings → Dating → Autopilot also has platform-wide defaults for the dating apps; the auto-send advice below applies there too.
How to review drafts in Pending drafts
Pending drafts is where Autopilot’s work lands: “Autopilot’s replies wait here, ready to send with one click.” To open it, click the Tera Chat icon in the menu bar and choose Drafts, or click Drafts at the top right of the Influence screen; both show how many drafts are waiting. (The Alert Center’s Drafts filter also lists a “Drafts pending review” row.) Each draft has three buttons:
- Edit: change the wording before it goes anywhere, then click Save & send (or Cancel).
- Dismiss: throw the draft away.
- Send: send it as written.
The habit worth building is to read every draft and change anything that doesn’t sound like you. A draft that’s 90% right still needs the last 10% from you.
What happens when Autopilot needs you?
When a reply depends on a fact about you that Tera Chat doesn’t have, or the chat needs something only you can do (a voice note or a call, for example), Autopilot stops and asks. The chat header shows Needs you, and the Alert Center (⌥⌘A) collects these in a Needs you section. Type your answer and choose Save answer and resume (Tera Chat remembers it and checks the chat again before replying), or deal with it yourself and choose Resume reply.
The safety controls
| Control | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Per-chat opt-in | Off | Autopilot only works in chats you switch on |
| Quiet hours | On, 10 pm to 8 am | No Autopilot replies overnight, except on Tinder. Contacts tagged VIP are exempt |
| Conversation cooldown | 30 minutes (adjustable from 5 to 120) | A minimum gap between Autopilot replies in the same conversation |
| Emergency stop | Disable all autopilot stops every Autopilot path immediately |
Quiet hours, limits and the emergency stop live in Settings → Dating → Autopilot. When you use the emergency stop, a banner says that automatic replies are paused and that messages continue to sync, with a Resume automatic replies button for when you’re ready. Turning Autopilot back on for any platform or chat also clears the stop.
One honest note on the limits: Autopilot on Tinder doesn’t follow quiet hours, and the conversation cooldown doesn’t apply to Tinder replies either. The app says the second part in the same settings: “Tinder replies have no hourly quota or conversation cooldown.” That’s one more reason never to switch on auto-send in a dating chat.
What is auto-send, and should you turn it on?
Auto-send is a separate switch, per chat, in the chat header, labelled Auto-send with a Beta tag; it only appears once Autopilot is on for that chat. With it on, Autopilot’s replies in that chat are sent without waiting for you. Turning it on asks Turn on auto-send? and shows the app’s own warning:
“Tinder’s and Hinge’s terms don’t allow third-party AI tools. Auto-send could get your account banned. Turn on anyway?”
On built-in AI, auto-send only works on a paid, active Tera Chat AI plan (any of the three), and it pauses if there’s a problem with your payment.
Our advice: keep auto-send off on dating apps, without exception. Tinder’s Terms of Use (effective 5 March 2026) and Hinge’s Terms of Service (effective 25 August 2025) ban third-party apps that directly interact with the service without written consent, “including but not limited to artificial intelligence or machine learning systems” (Tinder, Hinge), and Hinge’s terms also ban content you didn’t write yourself. Tera Chat connects to your account, so it’s the kind of tool those terms cover; auto-send is the clearest case of all. Is it against Tinder’s rules to use AI? explains the clauses.
Outside dating, think about whether the people you talk to would mind a reply you didn’t read first. Hinge’s advice is a good rule for any chat: “Think of AI as your wingman, not your ghostwriter” (Hinge). Ready-to-send drafts give you most of the time saving while keeping you the author.
Where does Autopilot make sense?
Used with ready-to-send drafts, Autopilot fits chats where replies are routine and you’d send something similar anyway: quick confirmations and acknowledgements in a busy WhatsApp chat, or keeping a Telegram conversation from piling up while you’re heads-down. You still read and send each one.
It fits less well where the other person expects a considered, personal reply; there, a draft you ask for yourself (the sparkle button in the reply box) and rewrite is often the better tool. In dating chats, keep auto-send off and stay the author of every message. How Tera Chat works with Tinder and Hinge covers the dating side.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No drafts appear | The chat isn’t switched on, or Tera Chat is paused | Check the header says Auto-reply On, and if an orange banner says Tera Chat is paused (before 1.1.6: Safe preview), click Resume…. Drafts don’t appear in the reply box: open Drafts from the menu bar icon or the Influence screen |
| Replies take longer than you expect | Quiet hours (10 pm to 8 am) or the conversation cooldown may be holding them | Wait, or reply yourself. VIP-tagged contacts skip quiet hours |
| Nothing happens in a chat on built-in AI | You’re on AI Plus, and Autopilot already runs in 5 other chats | The app says “AI Plus runs Autopilot in 5 chats. Turn Auto-reply off in one, or get AI Pro for every chat.” Until you do, the chat waits and checks again every 30 minutes |
| Drafts stopped coming | On a Tera Chat AI plan, Autopilot counts as automatic work, which is held to half your monthly allowance; with Codex, your ChatGPT plan’s limit may be used up | Check AI used this month in Settings → Tera Chat AI, or wait for your ChatGPT limit to reset |
| Needs you in the header | Autopilot has a question | Answer it in the Alert Center’s Needs you section |
| Emergency stopped everywhere | Someone used Disable all autopilot | Click Resume automatic replies in the banner when you’re ready |
| Autopilot does nothing in an iMessage chat | Autopilot isn’t available for iMessage, even though the header still shows the Auto-reply button | Ask for a draft with the sparkle button in the reply box instead |
What to do next
If you want to try Autopilot, pick one routine, non-dating chat, turn it on, and review every draft in Pending drafts for a week before deciding whether it’s saving you time. For the bigger picture on what Tera Chat can and can’t do with your messages, read Is Tera Chat safe?, and if you’re still setting up, start with getting started with Tera Chat.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tera Chat send messages automatically?
Not unless you set it up to. By default you read and send every message. Autopilot is off until you turn it on, and even then its replies wait in Pending drafts for you; automatic sending is a separate per-chat Beta switch.
Is Autopilot available for iMessage?
No. Autopilot works per chat on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and Tinder, but not on iMessage. For an iMessage chat, ask for a draft with the sparkle button in the reply box.
Which plan does Autopilot need?
On built-in AI, any Tera Chat AI plan: AI Plus runs Autopilot in up to 5 chats, and AI Pro and AI Max in every chat. With your own ChatGPT account connected through Codex, it doesn't need a plan.
How do I stop Autopilot everywhere at once?
Use Disable all autopilot, the emergency stop in Settings → Dating → Autopilot. It stops every Autopilot path immediately while your messages keep syncing.
Should I turn on auto-send for Tinder or Hinge chats?
No. Tinder's and Hinge's terms restrict third-party AI tools that interact with the service, and the app itself warns that auto-send could get your account banned. In dating chats, write or edit every message yourself.
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