Tern Bridge is the Chrome extension that logs the conversations your agents already have open on WhatsApp Web, Messenger, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Gmail and Outlook. It never sends a message. It needs Chrome 116 or newer and each agent installs it once in the browser they work in.
Before you start
- Sign in to Tern at app.ternup.io in the browser you want to capture from.
- In the sidebar open Settings, then Bridge.
- Read the card at the top. If it says Tern Bridge is not installed in this browser, pick one of the three ways below. If it says Installed in this browser, skip to pairing.
Install manually
This is the way in today. The full guide is at ternup.io/bridge/install. The same guide is inside the app behind the Install guide link on the card.
- On the install card, under Install manually, press Download latest.zip.
- Unzip it into a folder that stays put, such as Documents/Tern Bridge. Chrome loads the extension from this folder every time it starts, so do not unzip into Downloads and do not delete the folder later.
- Type
chrome://extensionsin the address bar and press Enter. - Switch on Developer mode in the top right corner of the page.
- Press Load unpacked. A folder picker opens.
- Choose the folder that holds
manifest.jsondirectly, not the zip and not a folder above it. Tern Bridge appears in the list, switched on. - Press the puzzle piece icon beside the address bar and pin Tern Bridge, so the bird is always one click away.
Three things differ from a store install. Chrome shows a Disable developer mode extensions notice when it starts: press the X and it stays away until the next restart. Updates are manual: when a newer build is out the side panel says Version x.y.z is available with a Download the zip link and the pill on the page shows a small dot. Unzip the new build over the same folder and press the reload arrow on the Tern Bridge card in chrome://extensions.
Managed install for IT admins
Chrome enterprise policy installs and updates Tern Bridge on every managed browser without anyone pressing Load unpacked. The developer mode notice and the manual update do not apply.
- Open ternup.io/bridge/install and scroll to A managed install by policy.
- Copy the Extension id and one of the two Policy values:
ExtensionInstallForcelistorExtensionSettings. - Set the value through Google Admin (Chrome browser, Apps and extensions), Windows Group Policy or a macOS configuration profile.
- Chrome installs the extension from its update manifest and checks for a newer version every few hours.
Chrome Web Store
The store listing is not live yet. Until it is, the card says The listing is on its way. Until it is live, install manually. and its button reads Not listed yet. When the listing is live the same card offers Add from Chrome Web Store: one click, then Chrome keeps the extension up to date.
Pair it with your account
Pairing needs no code and no click.
- Stay signed in to Tern in a tab of the same browser.
- Open the Tern Bridge side panel from the bird icon in the toolbar. It shows a checklist: Signed in to Tern, WhatsApp Web open and Capturing.
- Wait up to a minute. The extension pairs on its own and the first step gets its tick.
- To pair at once, press Pair now on the install card in Settings > Bridge, or Connect now in the side panel if it shows Get set up.
- Back in Settings > Bridge, check the Devices card. Your browser is listed with your name, how many sites are on and when it was last seen. While an agent has WhatsApp Web in front of them the row reads On WhatsApp Web now.
To remove a browser, press Unpair on its row and confirm. Its token stops working at once and its panel goes back to the checklist. The agent pairs it again by pressing Connect now in the panel.
The pill on the page
On a site Tern captures, a small pill with the Tern bird rests above the message box. It reads one of four things:
| Pill | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tern · Capturing | Conversations you open are logged to Tern. |
| Tern · Waiting | The extension is starting or the site is not ready yet. |
| Tern · Paused | Capture is paused for this site or you are in your own chat, where nothing is captured. |
| Tern · Not paired | Sign in to Tern in another tab. Pairing happens on its own. |
- Press the pill to open the panel. Its header reads Tern Bridge · WhatsApp Web (or the site you are on).
- Press Collapse to fold it back into the pill.
- If the pill covers something, drag it anywhere on the page. You can drag the open panel by its header too. The spot is remembered per site.
- Double click the pill to put it back above the message box.
Sync replies
The extension reads the WhatsApp Web chat list, so it knows a lead replied before anyone opens the chat. The pill then shows a count such as 4 replied and the Inbox in Tern marks the conversation Replied, not yet synced.
- Open the panel from the pill. It says how many leads replied, for example 5 leads replied.
- Press Sync replies. The extension opens each lead's chat in turn, one at a time, so Tern captures the full message. The pill counts along, for example Tern · Syncing 3 of 12.
- To end it early, click anywhere on the page or press Stop.
Know this before you press it: WhatsApp marks those chats as read. The lead sees their message as read. The unread badge in WhatsApp goes away too, even though the agent has not answered yet. Chats that belong to nobody in Tern, group chats and the agent's own chat are never opened.
Automatic mode
Automatic mode runs the same sync without anyone pressing the button. It is off by default and only an admin can change it.
- Open Settings, then Bridge. Find the Reply sync card.
- Switch on Automatic mode.
- Read the warning that appears: On. Lead chats are opened without an agent pressing anything and show as read in WhatsApp.
With it on, lead chats open by themselves after 60 seconds without input in the WhatsApp Web tab, at most once every 10 minutes. Devices pick the change up at their next session refresh. Leave it off if your team relies on WhatsApp's unread badge to see who still needs an answer.
If something is wrong
- The pill says Tern · Not paired: sign in to Tern in another tab and wait a minute.
- The pill says Tern · Paused: in Settings > Bridge check the Sites card. A site that is off there is off for every device. Resume lifts a pause.
- A site stopped capturing after the site changed its layout: on the Selector packs card press Refresh packs.