Why doesn't WhatSync have all my old messages?

WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted, so your messages live on your phone, not on a server anyone can read. When you link WhatSync (the same way you link WhatsApp Web), your phone sends it a copy of your history. WhatsApp on your phone decides how much to send, not WhatSync. Most phones send about the last year. Some send several years, some only a few months, and some send only a few recent messages for an older chat. No app linked to WhatsApp can ask for more at link time.

Doesn't WhatSync keep asking my phone for more?

On Max, yes. After you link, WhatSync keeps asking your phone for older messages, one chat at a time. Phones often answer slowly, iPhones especially, so this can take days. Sometimes the phone answers that there is nothing older even though you can scroll further back on it. An export doesn't depend on any of that: it is the full chat, straight from WhatsApp on your phone.

Will unlinking and linking WhatsApp again bring more?

Usually not. The same phone sends about the same amount each time you link, so you would end up where you started. Importing an export is quicker and gets the whole chat.

Can WhatsApp or Meta send my old messages instead?

No. Because chats are end-to-end encrypted, WhatsApp keeps no readable copy of them. The full copy is on your phone, plus your own iCloud or Google Drive backup, which only WhatsApp on a phone can restore. That's why the export has to come from your phone.

Which plans can import?

Max and Business. On the free trial, Plus and Pro the import button doesn't show. Moving to Max also shows every older message WhatSync already kept for you. See plans.

Which chats can I import?

One-on-one chats on a WhatsApp number linked by QR code. Group chats can't be imported yet, and neither can chats on the WhatsApp Business API.

The chat isn't in WhatSync at all. What do I do?

The import adds to a chat WhatSync already has, so the chat needs at least one saved message. Send or receive one message in it, and it shows up in WhatSync within seconds. If it still doesn't, check in Settings that WhatSync is saving that chat.

What happens to voice notes, photos and files in the export?

Voice notes are turned into text in the language they were spoken in, so your AI can search and quote them. Photos and documents such as PDFs are read too. Videos and stickers are kept so you can open them, but not read. Reading starts as soon as the import finishes. Most chats are done in a few minutes; a very long chat with hundreds of voice notes can take until the next day.

Why does the export say "audio omitted", "image omitted" or " "?

Either the chat was exported without media, or the file is no longer on your phone. If you chose Without media, export again and choose Attach media (Include media on Android). If the file isn't on your phone any more, it can't come back: WhatsApp keeps a copy of a file on its servers for only a few weeks after it's sent, and after that the only copy is on your phone. Files deleted from the phone, cleared to free space, or left behind when you moved to a new phone are gone for good. No app can bring them back, including WhatsApp. The message itself still comes in, marked "Voice note not included in the export", so you can see where it was.

Is there a size limit for files?

Yes, about 1.9 MB a file. That fits a voice note of up to about 14 minutes and almost every photo and PDF. Bigger files, usually long videos, are left out, and the message is marked "not imported" instead.

Are view-once and disappearing messages included?

No. WhatsApp never puts view-once or disappearing messages in an export, so they can't be imported.

What does this look like for a real chat?

One Max customer needed old voice notes from a chat that went back to 2020. Their iPhone had sent only a handful of recent messages for that chat, and answered "nothing older" when WhatSync asked again. They exported the chat with media and imported it: 2,463 messages from October 2020 came in, with 26 voice notes turned into text, 21 photos and 2 PDFs, all searchable by their AI a few minutes later.

Will I get messages twice?

No. Messages WhatSync already saved from your phone are skipped, and importing the same file again adds nothing. Export with media the first time, though: if you import a file without media first and then one with media, voice notes and photos can show up twice.

How long does an import take?

A few thousand text messages take under a minute. Voice notes, photos and files go up one at a time, so a chat with lots of them takes a few minutes. You can keep using WhatSync while it runs; just keep the tab open. If the tab closes, import the same file again and it carries on where it stopped.

Why does it ask "Which name is you?"

An export only has the names saved on your phone, not phone numbers, so WhatSync asks which one is you to know which messages you sent.

Why does the time zone matter?

The export lists each message's local time with no time zone, and WhatSync reads those times in the time zone of the device you import on. Import on a phone or computer set to the same time zone as your phone. Otherwise times are shifted, and messages already saved can come in a second time an hour or more off.

Should I import on my phone or my computer?

Either works. On a phone: after exporting, save the file (Save to Files on iPhone, your phone's storage or Google Drive on Android), open whatsync.app in your phone's browser and import it there. On a computer: get the file there by AirDrop, email or Google Drive first.

How far back does an export go?

As far back as the chat goes on your phone. If you cleared the chat on your phone at some point, messages from before that are not in the export.

"Export chat" is missing in WhatsApp. Why?

If the chat has Advanced chat privacy turned on, WhatsApp hides Export chat for everyone in that chat. Turn it off in the chat's info screen (either person can) and try again.

Does importing change anything in WhatsApp?

No. Nothing changes on your phone, and the other person isn't told. Exporting only makes a copy.

Is my export private?

The zip file is opened in your browser. Only the messages and files in it are sent to WhatSync, and they're kept like the rest of your saved chats. To remove them, open the chat in WhatSync and use Delete saved messages. How WhatSync handles your data.

Can my AI use the imported messages?

Yes. Imported messages are part of the chat like any other: ChatGPT, Claude and your other AI apps can search them, quote them and read the voice note text. What WhatSync saves.

Something went wrong or a chat looks incomplete.

Email hello@whatsync.app with the chat's name and what you expected to see. Don't send the export file itself.

Bring in older WhatsApp chats your phone didn't send

When you link WhatsApp, your phone decides how much history it hands over. If a chat in WhatSync stops earlier than it does on your phone, export that chat from WhatsApp and import the file. It takes a couple of minutes a chat, and voice notes in it are turned into text.

Why some older messages are missing

Why doesn't WhatSync have all my old messages?: WhatsApp chats are end-to-end encrypted, so your messages live on your phone, not on a server anyone can read. When you link WhatSync (the same way you link WhatsApp Web), your phone sends it a copy of your history. WhatsApp on your phone decides how much to send, not WhatSync. Most phones send about the last year. Some send several years, some only a few months, and some send only a few recent messages for an older chat. No app linked to WhatsApp can ask for more at link time.
Doesn't WhatSync keep asking my phone for more?: On Max, yes. After you link, WhatSync keeps asking your phone for older messages, one chat at a time. Phones often answer slowly, iPhones especially, so this can take days. Sometimes the phone answers that there is nothing older even though you can scroll further back on it. An export doesn't depend on any of that: it is the full chat, straight from WhatsApp on your phone.
Will unlinking and linking WhatsApp again bring more?: Usually not. The same phone sends about the same amount each time you link, so you would end up where you started. Importing an export is quicker and gets the whole chat.
Can WhatsApp or Meta send my old messages instead?: No. Because chats are end-to-end encrypted, WhatsApp keeps no readable copy of them. The full copy is on your phone, plus your own iCloud or Google Drive backup, which only WhatsApp on a phone can restore. That's why the export has to come from your phone.

Before you start

Which plans can import?: Max and Business. On the free trial, Plus and Pro the import button doesn't show. Moving to Max also shows every older message WhatSync already kept for you. See plans.
Which chats can I import?: One-on-one chats on a WhatsApp number linked by QR code. Group chats can't be imported yet, and neither can chats on the WhatsApp Business API.
The chat isn't in WhatSync at all. What do I do?: The import adds to a chat WhatSync already has, so the chat needs at least one saved message. Send or receive one message in it, and it shows up in WhatSync within seconds. If it still doesn't, check in Settings that WhatSync is saving that chat.

Export the chat on iPhone

Do this for each chat you want to bring in. The highlighted button is the one to tap.

In WhatsApp, open the one-on-one chat and tap the person's name at the top.

Scroll down and tap Export Chat.

Tap Attach Media, so voice notes and photos come too.

Tap Save to Files and save it to your iPhone or iCloud Drive. WhatsApp makes a .zip file.

Export the chat on Android

Menus look slightly different from phone to phone, but the names are the same.

In WhatsApp, open the one-on-one chat and tap the three dots at the top right.

Tap More.

Tap Export chat.

Tap Include media, then save the file to your phone or Google Drive.

Import it into WhatSync

In WhatSync, open the same chat. At the top of its messages, tap Import a WhatsApp export. It's also in the chat's details panel.

Tap Choose the export file and pick the .zip you saved.

Check the summary: how many messages, from when to when, and how many voice notes and photos. Tap your own name, then Import.

The import runs in the corner of the page. Keep the tab open until it says the chat is imported.

Always choose Attach media (Include media on Android). Without it, the voice notes, photos and files are left out, and importing them later can show them twice.

Voice notes, photos and files

What happens to voice notes, photos and files in the export?: Voice notes are turned into text in the language they were spoken in, so your AI can search and quote them. Photos and documents such as PDFs are read too. Videos and stickers are kept so you can open them, but not read. Reading starts as soon as the import finishes. Most chats are done in a few minutes; a very long chat with hundreds of voice notes can take until the next day.
Why does the export say "audio omitted", "image omitted" or "<Media omitted>"?: Either the chat was exported without media, or the file is no longer on your phone. If you chose Without media, export again and choose Attach media (Include media on Android). If the file isn't on your phone any more, it can't come back: WhatsApp keeps a copy of a file on its servers for only a few weeks after it's sent, and after that the only copy is on your phone. Files deleted from the phone, cleared to free space, or left behind when you moved to a new phone are gone for good. No app can bring them back, including WhatsApp. The message itself still comes in, marked "Voice note not included in the export", so you can see where it was.
Is there a size limit for files?: Yes, about 1.9 MB a file. That fits a voice note of up to about 14 minutes and almost every photo and PDF. Bigger files, usually long videos, are left out, and the message is marked "not imported" instead.
Are view-once and disappearing messages included?: No. WhatsApp never puts view-once or disappearing messages in an export, so they can't be imported.
What does this look like for a real chat?: One Max customer needed old voice notes from a chat that went back to 2020. Their iPhone had sent only a handful of recent messages for that chat, and answered "nothing older" when WhatSync asked again. They exported the chat with media and imported it: 2,463 messages from October 2020 came in, with 26 voice notes turned into text, 21 photos and 2 PDFs, all searchable by their AI a few minutes later.

Questions

Will I get messages twice?: No. Messages WhatSync already saved from your phone are skipped, and importing the same file again adds nothing. Export with media the first time, though: if you import a file without media first and then one with media, voice notes and photos can show up twice.
How long does an import take?: A few thousand text messages take under a minute. Voice notes, photos and files go up one at a time, so a chat with lots of them takes a few minutes. You can keep using WhatSync while it runs; just keep the tab open. If the tab closes, import the same file again and it carries on where it stopped.
Why does it ask "Which name is you?": An export only has the names saved on your phone, not phone numbers, so WhatSync asks which one is you to know which messages you sent.
Why does the time zone matter?: The export lists each message's local time with no time zone, and WhatSync reads those times in the time zone of the device you import on. Import on a phone or computer set to the same time zone as your phone. Otherwise times are shifted, and messages already saved can come in a second time an hour or more off.
Should I import on my phone or my computer?: Either works. On a phone: after exporting, save the file (Save to Files on iPhone, your phone's storage or Google Drive on Android), open whatsync.app in your phone's browser and import it there. On a computer: get the file there by AirDrop, email or Google Drive first.
How far back does an export go?: As far back as the chat goes on your phone. If you cleared the chat on your phone at some point, messages from before that are not in the export.
"Export chat" is missing in WhatsApp. Why?: If the chat has Advanced chat privacy turned on, WhatsApp hides Export chat for everyone in that chat. Turn it off in the chat's info screen (either person can) and try again.
Does importing change anything in WhatsApp?: No. Nothing changes on your phone, and the other person isn't told. Exporting only makes a copy.
Is my export private?: The zip file is opened in your browser. Only the messages and files in it are sent to WhatSync, and they're kept like the rest of your saved chats. To remove them, open the chat in WhatSync and use Delete saved messages. How WhatSync handles your data.
Can my AI use the imported messages?: Yes. Imported messages are part of the chat like any other: ChatGPT, Claude and your other AI apps can search them, quote them and read the voice note text. What WhatSync saves.
Something went wrong or a chat looks incomplete.: Email hello@whatsync.app with the chat's name and what you expected to see. Don't send the export file itself.