# Taking control of a conversation

How to take over a conversation from Loop, what happens to scheduled sends, and how to hand it back when you're done.

Click **Take control** in a conversation's header to reply yourself — Loop immediately stops auto-replying and cancels any scheduled follow-ups on that thread. This is reversible: click **Hand back to Loop** whenever you want Loop to resume. Only one of you holds the thread at a time.

## What does "Loop is handling" mean?

Every conversation in your **Conversations** inbox shows a status pill at the top of the thread: **Loop is handling** or **You're handling**. This reflects who currently owns replies on that thread.

- **Loop is handling** — Loop is running the conversation. It sends the next message, follows the cadence it planned, and you see a live preview of what it's about to send.
- **You're handling** — you've taken control. Loop has paused on this thread and won't send anything until you hand it back.

Only one side replies at a time, so a person never gets a reply from Loop and from you on the same thread.

## How do I take control of a conversation?

1. Open the conversation in **Conversations**.
2. Click **Take control** in the thread header (next to the **Loop is handling** pill).
3. A confirmation dialog explains what happens: Loop pauses on this conversation, no further automated emails or calls go out — even ones already scheduled — and Loop won't reply while you hold the wheel.
4. If more than one reply channel is available for this person, pick which one you want to reply on (Email, Instagram, or WhatsApp — Voice isn't a compose channel here).
5. Click **Take control** to confirm.

You can also take control straight from a suggested reply: if Loop is showing you a preview of what it plans to send next, click **Take the wheel & edit** instead of the header button. The suggestion's text carries over into your composer so you can edit it rather than starting from a blank message.

## What happens when I take control?

Once you confirm, the thread flips to **You're handling**:

- The live preview card is replaced by your composer, so you can write and send a reply directly.
- Loop cancels anything it had scheduled for this person on this thread — no automated email or call goes out after you've taken control, even if it was already queued.
- Loop stays paused on this specific conversation until you hand it back. It keeps working normally on every other conversation.
- If a suggested reply was on screen when you took control, its text is pre-filled into your composer so you don't lose it.

Taking control only affects the one conversation you're viewing — it doesn't pause Loop across your other people or Loops.

## How do I hand a conversation back to Loop?

Click **Hand back to Loop** next to the **You're handling** pill. Loop resumes the conversation immediately — no confirmation dialog, because handing back is non-destructive and you can take control again at any time.

Handing back also resets your channel choice: the next time you take control of this thread, you'll be asked to pick a reply channel again.

## Does Instagram or WhatsApp still apply their messaging window when I'm handling a thread?

Yes. If the conversation is on Instagram or WhatsApp, the same 24-hour messaging window that governs Loop's replies also governs yours. The thread header shows a countdown when the window is open, and your composer is disabled once it closes — taking control doesn't bypass the channel's own rules.

## Related

- [/conversations](/conversations) — see the status pill on every thread in your inbox
- [/loops](/loops) — the cadences Loop pauses when you take control