The Behavior tab in the widget customizer groups the controls that decide how the widget acts on your storefront, separate from the Design tab (colors, font, and the launcher's look) and the Advanced tab (Custom CSS). None of these settings change what the agent says. They change how the launcher and panel behave around that conversation.
What it does
Behavior controls let you decide which devices show the launcher at all, whether the chat panel opens on its own, whether shoppers see a typing indicator while a reply is being prepared, and whether the launcher should be hidden or shown only on specific storefront pages. Every setting here is independent of the others, so you can mix and match: for example, auto-open on your homepage only, with the launcher hidden entirely on your checkout pages.
Where to find it
Go to Settings, Chat widget.
Click Customize widget.
Click the Behavior tab.
Change a setting, then click Save.
A note on the live preview: the preview beside the controls shows the panel's look, but it can't simulate a real page load, a hover, or a timed delay. The settings below that depend on real storefront behavior say so explicitly, rather than silently doing nothing in the preview.
How it works
Launcher visibility (desktop and mobile)
Two independent checkboxes decide whether the launcher bubble appears on desktop and on mobile. Turn either off to hide the widget on that device type entirely, everywhere on your store. Both are on by default. If you only tested the widget on one device, remember to check the other before assuming it isn't working there: a shop can intentionally run desktop-only or mobile-only.
Open on hover
When turned on, the chat panel opens as soon as a shopper hovers the launcher on desktop, in addition to clicking it. This is off by default, and it's a desktop-only, storefront-only behavior, so there's no hover event for the preview to react to.
Auto-open
Opens the chat panel automatically a few seconds after a shopper lands on your store, a gentle nudge for stores that want to invite the conversation rather than wait for a shopper to click the launcher themselves.
Turn it on, then set the delay, anywhere from 1 to 60 seconds.
It opens at most once per visit, and never again after a shopper closes it, so it won't nag someone who's already dismissed it.
It won't double up if the shopper already opened the chat themselves before the delay elapses.
Off by default. This is storefront-only behavior; the preview has no page-load timer to simulate it.
Typing indicator
Controls the animated "is typing" indicator that appears while the agent is preparing a reply.
On (default): shoppers see the animated indicator during an agent turn, so they know a reply is coming.
Off: replies appear directly, without the indicator.
This only applies during a live agent reply on your storefront. The static preview has no "thinking" state to show, so you won't see a difference there either way.
Page targeting
Show or hide the launcher on specific storefront pages using URL patterns.
Add a rule with a pattern (for example
/cart*or/products/*) and an action, Show or Hide.Rules are checked in order, and the first matching rule wins.
No rules means the launcher shows on every page. This is the default, and it's the safe fallback if you remove every rule you've added.
Storefront-only: the preview doesn't simulate a real URL, so page rules never show up there. Test a page rule by visiting the actual storefront path after saving.
Good to know
None of these settings are live-previewable in the customizer. Open on hover, auto-open, and page targeting all depend on a real storefront page load, a real hover event, or a real URL, none of which the static preview can simulate. Save your change and check the real storefront to confirm.
The typing indicator is a real signal, not decoration. Turning it off means replies simply appear once ready; it doesn't change how fast the agent actually responds.
Desktop and mobile visibility are independent of page targeting. A page rule that hides the launcher on
/cart*still respects your desktop/mobile checkboxes; both conditions have to pass for the launcher to show.Auto-open respects a shopper who's already engaged. If they open chat themselves before your delay elapses, Arbyn won't also trigger the automatic open on top of it.
FAQ
Can I show the widget on desktop only, and hide it on mobile? Yes. Uncheck Show on mobile and leave Show on desktop checked. The two are fully independent.
If I set an auto-open delay of 10 seconds, will it interrupt someone already checking out? Only if the launcher is visible on that page at all. Add a page rule to hide the launcher (and therefore auto-open) on your cart or checkout paths if you don't want it appearing there.
Does turning off the typing indicator make replies faster? No. The agent's actual response time is unaffected. The indicator is purely a visual cue while a reply is being prepared; turning it off just means the reply appears without that cue.
My page rule isn't working. What should I check? Rules are evaluated in order and the first match wins, so a broader rule earlier in the list can shadow a more specific one further down. Also confirm you're testing on your live, published storefront, since page rules are storefront-only and never simulated in the customizer's preview.