WhatsApp Phone Capture for Android

September Baseline, 21 Sept 2025

FIXED

Important

• Starting  this release, MDM app versions will be distributed as AAB (Android App  Bundle) files instead of APK. This change is required because the app  file size now exceeds 100 MB, making the AAB format necessary for proper  MDM distribution and installation.

• Smarsh recommends backing up all chat data before upgrading to a new version.

Hotfix, 5 Aug 2025

FIXED

Issue: Meta UI A/B testing was detected.

Fix: The code is modified to ensure full app functionality is preserved across all UI variants.

Important

Smarsh recommends backing up all chat data before upgrading to a new version.

July Baseline, 30 July 2025

ADDED

The embedded upgrade link is included under Settings > Help. This allows users to upgrade to the latest app version without contacting Smarsh Support.

Previous branding

New branding

FIXED

Important

Smarsh recommends backing up all chat data before upgrading to a new version.

Hotfix, 16 June 2025

ADDED

• The authentication mechanism during sign-in is enhanced to improve account security.

• Sending  logs to Smarsh support for technical issues with the app is enhanced  with improved security measures. Users can send logs from within the app  by navigating to Settings > Help > Send Logs.

DEPRECATED

Sending logs through email to Smarsh support for technical issues with the app is no longer supported.

May Baseline, 28 May 2025 

FIXED

KNOWN ISSUE - WhatsApp Native

The Message box is displayed at the top of the screen. However, this UI issue does not impact messaging or archiving functionality within the app. 

Hotfix, 21 May 2025 

ADDED

Security enhancements are introduced to enhance data protection and further align with industry-standards. Users must upgrade to the latest version as the current version is not compatible with the new security enhancements. For detailed information about upgrading to the latest version, see Security Upgrade for WhatsApp Phone Capture.

Hotfix, 15 Apr 2025 

Important

This fix is applicable only for upgrade through the Embedded Upgrade Link.

ADDED

WhatsApp Phone Capture for Android is enhanced to optimize server load handling and the overall sign-in performance.

Hotfix, 02 Apr 2025 

FIXED

Issue: During sign in, while users await the verification code, the following error message is displayed:

Fix: To handle this error during sign in:

1. If you see the following message, keep the app open and wait for the verification code via SMS. 

2. If you don't receive an SMS in three minutes and the "Get 6-digit code via Call" option appears, tap on it to receive the verification code by call.

3. If you still encounter the 1-hour loop issue, contact Smarsh support.

March Baseline, 26 Mar 2025 

ADDED

Starting this version, WhatsApp Capture for Android includes an embedded upgrade link that replaces the App Center link. This change aligns with Microsoft discontinuing App Center support on March 31, 2025. For more information, see the notice here.

FIXED

KNOWN ISSUES

• Few users cannot set or update a group photo or profile photo.

• When a member is removed from a community, the Left Group event is archived only for the member and not the admin.

February Baseline, 16 Feb 2025 

ADDED

WhatsApp Phone Capture requires a minimum Android version of 10.

FIXED

Issue: Users encountered the account reset screen and were unable to log in to the app despite multiple sign-in attempts.

Fix: The code is modified to fix this issue. The fix behaves differently depending on the following scenarios:

• Scenario 1: A user blocked by the account reset screen repeatedly attempts to log in without reinstalling the app.
  To log in, the user must:

  1. Close the app.

  2. Upgrade to the latest version.

  3. Open the app and follow the regular process to sign in.

  4. Enter the 6-digit verification code.
     The user is successfully logged in.

• Scenario 2: A user blocked by the account reset screen earlier migrates back to WhatsApp Phone Capture for Android by reinstalling the app.
  To log in, the user must:

  1. Upgrade or install the latest version.

  2. Open the app and follow the regular process to sign in.
     The user encounters the account reset screen.

  3. Close and reopen the app.

  4. Follow the regular process to sign in.

  5. Enter the 6-digit verification code.
     The user is successfully logged in.

Note

• Users with multiple Google accounts should avoid restoring the backup from a Google account and instead use Local Storage to restore backup.

• Smarsh recommends that users restore backup from their Local Storage.

FIXED

Issue: Occasionally, the WhatsApp Web and Desktop sessions remained active even after a user was suspended.

Fix: The code is modified to disconnect the Web and Desktop sessions for suspended users.

FIXED

Issue: When a user deleted an incoming image, video, or sticker using the Delete for me option, the original filename of the media file was archived as Unknown. However, the filename could be detected using the Original Message (Message ID) in the archive.

Fix: The code is modified to display the original file name of the incoming media file deleted by the user.

KNOWN ISSUE - WhatsApp Native

Files larger than 25 MB are not automatically downloaded when the application is killed or running in the background. As a result, messages with files larger than 25 MB are not archived until the file is downloaded.

If the file is not downloaded in the next 24 hours, the message is archived with the filename and thumbnail.

KNOWN ISSUE

When a user shares their location as an attachment in a conversation thread, the location message appears minimized.

KNOWN ISSUE

When a user installs or upgrades to the current version, the Joined Chat Group event is received in bulk for all the groups they are a member of.

Hotfix, 19 Jan 2025 

ADDED

WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced with improvements to base64 encoding and file encryption.

December Baseline, 29 Dec 2024 

ADDED

• WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced to include support archiving Status (Story) communications.

  • The STATUS prefix is added to the subject line to distinguish Status communications from broadcast messages.

  • For Status deletion, the STATUS prefix in the subject line is prefixed with DELETE. For example, when a status is added and subsequently deleted for all, the subject line format is displayed as follows:

DELETED For All - STATUS - UNREAD WhatsApp message from [Phone number] to broadcast group

• Group event IDs are enhanced to enable WhatsApp Phone Capture to archive all identical events occurring within the same time frame, including seconds. This enhancement ensures that all events are captured with their exact timing, improving tracking accuracy and reliability during high-activity periods.

FIXED

KNOWN ISSUE

Users with existing accounts may experience duplicate Group Joined events after reinstalling the app. A fix will be included in an upcoming hotfix release.

Hotfix, 25 Nov 2024 

FIXED

Issue: Archiving Change Group Name event was not supported due to code refactoring.

Fix: The code is modified to archive the Change Group Name event.

ADDED

WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced to prioritize older messages in the archive queue, to ensure they are not stuck in the queue for an extended period.

November Baseline, 13 Nov 2024 

FIXED

ADDED

• A new server setting is introduced to disable communication with Meta AI. To disable communication with Meta AI, send a request to your Account Manager. An administrator will disable the setting for your organization.

  Note

  • After the administrator disables communication with Meta AI, the Meta AI icon is not displayed to users.

  • If a user has an existing conversation thread with Meta AI, they will lose access to the thread once communication with Meta AI is disabled. The user can manually delete the conversation thread in WhatsApp Phone Capture.

  • Disabling communication with Meta AI is not supported on WhatsApp Desktop and Web. As a workaround, administrators can block WhatsApp Desktop and Web to disable communication with Meta AI. To block WhatsApp Desktop and Web for your users, send a request to your Account Manager.

  • Meta AI Studio is disabled.

• Companion mode is disabled in the following scenarios:

  • Connecting WhatsApp Phone Capture as a companion device.

  • Connecting other apps as companion to WhatsApp Phone Capture.

• WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced to prioritize older messages in the archive queue, to ensure they are not stuck in the queue for an extended period.

KNOWN ISSUE

Archiving Change Group Name event is not supported due to code refactoring. A fix will be included in an upcoming hotfix release.

Hotfix, 28 Oct 2024 

FIXED

Issue: The app processed each broadcast message individually for each recipient, causing significant delays in message delivery, especially for large broadcast lists.

Fix: The code is modified to process a broadcast message for all recipients in one operation.

Hotfix, 14 Oct 2024 

FIXED

Issue: Some users experienced delays in sending one-to-one or group messages when a broadcast message to more than 25 recipients was being archived in the background.

Fix: The code is modified to send one-to-one or group messages without delay.

September Baseline, 02 Oct 2024 

DEPRECATED

• The email address support@telemessage.com is deprecated. To contact your Smarsh representative, see Smarsh Central.

• Support for WhatsApp Phone Capture on Android devices with 32-bit processor and 64-bit processor that require 32-bit emulation is deprecated.

ADDED

• The archiving module is refactored to improve communication efficiency and minimize latency between the WhatsApp Phone Capture app and the server, leading to enhanced performance.

• A new permission is added to schedule alarms at regular intervals using the Alarms & reminders functionality in the Android Operating System. Users must enable this permission during new installation or upgrade to archive messages in near real-time when the app is in the background. For more information, see Enabling Alarms and Reminders.

KNOWN ISSUE

Issue: When a user with both WhatsApp Phone Capture and the native WhatsApp applications installed taps Open link from a notification to join a call, they are redirected to native WhatsApp, and the call is not archived.

Workaround: Avoid using the Open link option from the notification to join calls. Instead, open the chat in the WhatsApp Phone Capture app and tap the link to join the call.

Hotfix, 14 Aug 2024 

FIXED

Issue: The app crashed when it received an incoming call on some 32-bit Android devices.

Fix: The code is modified to display the call header during an incoming call and allow the user to receive the call.

July Baseline, 05 Aug 2024 

CHANGED

When a WhatsApp Status event is archived, only the first 50 contacts are displayed in the TO field of the archive. The complete list of contacts receiving the Status is displayed in the archive message body.

FIXED

Hotfix, 10 Jul 2024 

FIXED

Issue: When outgoing messages and calls from an application version prior to the latest version are archived from the latest application version, the messages and calls were encrypted in the archive.

Fix:  The code is modified to display the decrypted messages in the archive.

June Baseline, 23 Jun 2024

ADDED

• WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced to support WhatsApp incoming API messages. 

• WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced to support incoming broadcasts chats in Android devices.

ENHANCED

When an administrator disables audio calls, video calls, or both for users, a pop-up with the following message appears when a user attempts an audio or video call:

"Calls are disabled by your Company Administrator."

The user must tap OK to dismiss the pop-up.

A user can create a call link, but cannot join the call if the administrator has disabled audio or video calls.

This is applicable when a user attempt a call in a one-to-one chat, group chat, or the calls screen.

FIXED

April Baseline, 25 Apr 2024 

ENHANCED

• A new server setting is introduced to disable backing up chat history to Google Drive on Android devices. To disable chat history back up to Google Drive, send a request to your Account Manager or initiate an Onboarding case. An administrator will enable the setting for your organization.

  Note

  The new server setting does not impact the existing functionality to completely enable or disable chat history back up to a local repository or iCloud.

• WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced to archive WhatsApp Status events with the prefix STATUS in the archive subject line. 

Hot Fix, 11 Apr 2024 

FIXED

Issue: The following issue was observed with the backup chat history to Google Drive feature.

A mandatory Meta-native pop-up appeared prompting users to set up a Google account and the Google Drive back up frequency. This pop-up appeared even when back up to Google Drive was disabled on the server. When the user taps Done, the Action not allowed pop-up was displayed. An issue with the customer's MDM system that contained the policy disabling the backup resulted in the Action not allowed pop-up.

>

Fix: The code is modified to remove the mandatory pop-up. Users can now enable chat history back up to Google Drive under Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.

March Baseline, 07 Apr 2024 

ADDED

• WhatsApp Phone Capture is enhanced to back up chat messages to Google Drive. To back up chat messages:

  1. Navigate to Settings.

  2. Tap Chats > Chat Backup > Google Account.

  3. In the Google storage backup screen, select Only when I tap "Back up". 

  4. Tap Google Account to select an existing Google account or add a new Google account. The selected Google account is added.

  5. Tap Back up.
     The application takes some time to back up existing chat messages to your Google account. 
     > 

  6. In the Restore from Backup screen, tap Cancel.

     Note

     If you restore chat messages from the local device back up, you will not be able to restore from Google back up.

  7. Tap Give permission to allow WhatsApp Phone Capture to check and restore previous backed up chat messages, if any. 

  8. Select a Google account from where the backup must be restored.
     The process to restore chat messages begins. 
     

     Important

     • You cannot schedule back up to a Google account. You must manually tap Back up to back up the latest data.

     • When chat messages are backed up on two devices using the same Google account, the last back up is saved.

     • When back up is blocked, the Back up button is greyed. 

ENHANCED

• When an administrator disables audio and video calls for users, a pop-up with the following message appears when a user cancels an attempted call:
  "Calls are disabled by your Company  Administrator."
  The user must tap OK to dismiss the pop-up.

FIXED

• Issue: If a user attempted to make audio or video calls while the administrator had disabled outgoing audio and video calls, the call was recorded as an unanswered call with the status labelled as BLOCKED_CALL.
  Fix: The issue is resolved to display the following pop-up message when a user cancels the attempted audio or video call while outgoing calls are disabled by the administrator: "Calls are disabled by your Company  Administrator."

• Issue: When a user followed a channel and the event was archived, the channel name was displayed in the archive. For example, EVENT_USERS_FOLLOWED_CHANNEL-Netflix-972522149596-2024-01-01T13
  Fix: The issue is resolved to display the channelID in the archive when the Follow a Channel event is archived. For example, EVENT_USERS_FOLLOWED_CHANNEL-120363144038483540@newsletter-972528707782-2024-03-21T10