Whatsapp4j has been renamed to Cobalt to comply with an official request coming from Whatsapp. The repository's history was cleared to comply with this request, but keep in mind that the project has been actively developed for over two years. To be clear, this library is not affiliated with Whatsapp LLC in any way. This is a personal project that I maintain in my free time
Cobalt is a library built to interact with Whatsapp. It can be used with:
If you like my work, you can become a sponsor here on GitHub or tip me through:
I can also work on sponsored features and/or projects!
This library requires at least Java 21.
GraalVM native compilation is supported!
Until the library doesn't reach release 1.0, there will be major breaking changes between each release. This is needed to finalize the design of the API. After this milestone, breaking changes will be present only in major releases.
While there is no risk in using this library with your main account, keep in mind that Whatsapp has anti-spam measures for their web client. If you add a participant from a brand-new number to a group, it will most likely get you banned. If you compile the library yourself, don't run the CI on a brand-new number, or it will get banned for spamming too many requests(the CI has to test that all the library works). In short, if you use this library without a malicious intent, you will never get banned.
<dependency>
<groupId>com.github.auties00</groupId>
<artifactId>cobalt</artifactId>
<version>0.0.9</version>
</dependency>
Groovy DSL
implementation 'com.github.auties00:cobalt:0.0.9'
Kotlin DSL
implementation("com.github.auties00:cobalt:0.0.9")
Javadocs for Cobalt are available here. The documentation for this project reaches most of the publicly available APIs(i.e. public members in exported packages), but sometimes the Javadoc may be incomplete or some methods could be absent from the project's README. If you find any of the latter, know that even small contributions are welcomed!
As of today, no additional configuration or artifact building is needed to edit this project. I recommend using the latest version of IntelliJ, though any other IDE should work. If you are not familiar with git, follow these short tutorials in order:
Check the frida module to understand how I go about reversing features
This library heavily depends on async operations using the CompletableFuture construct. Remember to handle them as your application will terminate without doing anything if the main thread is not executing any task. Please do not open redundant issues on GitHub because of this.
To create a new connection, start by creating a builder with the api you need:
Whatsapp.webBuilder()
Whatsapp.mobileBuilder()
If you want to use a custom serializer, specify it:
.serializer(new CustomControllerSerializer())
Now select the type of connection that you need:
.newConnection(someUuid)
.newConnection(someUuid)
.newConnection(phoneNumber)
.newConnection(alias)
.newOptionalConnection(someUuid)
.firstConnection()
.firstOptionalConnection()
.lastConnection()
.lastOptionalConnection()
You can now customize the API with these options:
.name("Some Custom Name :)")
.version(new Version("x.xx.xx"))
@RegisterListener
should automatically be registered
.autodetectListeners(true)
.textPreviewSetting(TextPreviewSetting.ENABLED_WITH_INFERENCE)
.checkPatchMacs(checkPatchMacs)
.proxy(someProxy)
There are also platform specific options:
.historyLength(WebHistoryLength.THREE_MONTHS)
.device(CompanionDevice.android(false)) // Standard Android
.device(CompanionDevice.android(true)) //Business android
.device(CompanionDevice.ios(false)) // Standard iOS
.device(CompanionDevice.ios(true)) // Business iOS
.device(CompanionDevice.kaiOs()) // Standard KaiOS
.businessCategory(new BusinessCategory(id, name))
.businessEmail("email@domanin.com")
.businessWebsite("https://google.com")
.businessDescription("A nice description")
.businessLatitude(37.386051)
.businessLongitude(-122.083855)
.businessAddress("1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy, Mountain View")
IMPORTANT: All options are serialized: there is no need to specify them again when deserializing an existing session
Finally select the registration status of your session:
Creates a new registered session: this means that the QR code was already scanned / the OTP was already sent to Whatsapp
.registered()
Creates a new unregistered session: this means that the QR code wasn't scanned / the OTP wasn't sent to the companion's phone via SMS/Call/OTP
If you are using the Web API, you can either register via QR code:
.unregistered(QrHandler.toTerminal())
or with a pairing code(new feature):
.unregistered(yourPhoneNumberWithCountryCode, PairingCodeHandler.toTerminal())
Otherwise, if you are using the mobile API, you can decide if you want to receive an SMS, a call or an OTP:
.verificationCodeMethod(VerificationCodeMethod.SMS)
Then provide a supplier for that verification method:
.verificationCodeSupplier(() -> yourAsyncOrSyncLogic())
Finally, register:
.register(yourPhoneNumberWithCountryCode)
Now you can connect to your session:
.connect()
to connect to Whatsapp. Remember to handle the result using, for example, join
to await the connection's result. Finally, if you want to pause the current thread until the connection is closed, use:
.awaitDisconnection()
Web QR Pairing Example
Whatsapp.webBuilder() // Use the Web api
.newConnection() // Create a new connection
.unregistered(QrHandler.toTerminal()) // Print the QR to the terminal
.addLoggedInListener(api -> System.out.printf("Connected: %s%n", api.store().privacySettings())) // Print a message when connected
.addDisconnectedListener(reason -> System.out.printf("Disconnected: %s%n", reason)) // Print a message when disconnected
.addNewChatMessageListener(message -> System.out.printf("New message: %s%n", message.toJson())) // Print a message when a new chat message arrives
.connect() // Connect to Whatsapp asynchronously
.join() // Await the result
.awaitDisconnection(); // Wait
Web Pairing Code Example
System.out.println("Enter the phone number(include the country code prefix, but no +, spaces or parenthesis):")
var scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
var phoneNumber = scanner.nextLong();
Whatsapp.webBuilder() // Use the Web api
.newConnection() // Create a new connection
.unregistered(phoneNumber, PairingCodeHandler.toTerminal()) // Print the pairing code to the terminal
.addLoggedInListener(api -> System.out.printf("Connected: %s%n", api.store().privacySettings())) // Print a message when connected
.addDisconnectedListener(reason -> System.out.printf("Disconnected: %s%n", reason)) // Print a message when disconnected
.addNewChatMessageListener(message -> System.out.printf("New message: %s%n", message.toJson())) // Print a message when a new chat message arrives
.connect() // Connect to Whatsapp asynchronously
.join() // Await the result
.awaitDisconnection(); // Wait
Mobile Example
System.out.println("Enter the phone number(include the country code prefix, but no +, spaces or parenthesis):")
var scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
var phoneNumber = scanner.nextLong();
Whatsapp.mobileBuilder() // Use the Mobile api
.newConnection() // Create a new connection
.device(CompanionDevice.ios(false)) // Use a non-business iOS account
.unregistered() // If the connection was just created, it needs to be registered
.verificationCodeMethod(VerificationCodeMethod.SMS) // If the connection was just created, send an SMS OTP
.verificationCodeSupplier(() -> { // Called when the OTP needs to be sent to Whatsapp
System.out.println("Enter OTP: ");
var scanner = new Scanner(System.in);
return scanner.nextLine();
})
.register(phoneNumber) // Register the phone number asynchronously, if necessary
.join() // Await the result
.whatsapp() // Access the Whatsapp instance
.addLoggedInListener(api -> System.out.printf("Connected: %s%n", api.store().privacySettings())) // Print a message when connected
.addDisconnectedListener(reason -> System.out.printf("Disconnected: %s%n", reason)) // Print a message when disconnected
.addNewChatMessageListener(message -> System.out.printf("New message: %s%n", message.toJson())) // Print a message when a new chat message arrives
.connect() // Connect to Whatsapp asynchronously
.join() // Await the result
.awaitDisconnection(); // Wait
There are three ways to close a connection:
Disconnect
api.disconnect();
IMPORTANT: The session remains valid for future uses
Reconnect
api.reconnect();
IMPORTANT: The session remains valid for future uses
Log out
api.logout();
IMPORTANT: The session doesn't remain valid for future uses
Listeners are crucial to handle events related to Whatsapp and implement logic for your application. Listeners can be used either as:
Standalone concrete implementation
If your application is complex enough, it's preferable to divide your listeners' logic across multiple specialized classes. To create a new concrete listener, declare a class or record that implements the Listener interface:
import it.auties.whatsapp.api.Listener;
public class MyListener implements Listener {
@Override
public void onLoggedIn() {
System.out.println("Hello :)");
}
}
Remember to register this listener:
api.addListener(new MyListener());
Functional interface
If your application is very simple or only requires this library in small operations, it's preferable to add a listener using a lambda instead of using full-fledged classes. To declare a new functional listener, call the method add followed by the name of the listener that you want to implement without the on suffix:
api.addDisconnectedListener(reason -> System.out.println("Goodbye: " + reason));
All lambda listeners can access the instance of Whatsapp
that called them:
api.addDisconnectedListener((whatsapp, reason) -> System.out.println("Goodbye: " + reason));
This is extremely useful if you want to implement a functionality for your application in a compact manner:
Whatsapp.newConnection()
.addLoggedInListener(() -> System.out.println("Connected"))
.addNewMessageListener((whatsapp, info) -> whatsapp.sendMessage(info.chatJid(), "Automatic answer", info))
.connect()
.join();
In the original version of WhatsappWeb, chats, contacts and messages could be queried at any from Whatsapp's servers. The multi-device implementation, instead, sends all of this information progressively when the connection is initialized for the first time and doesn't allow any subsequent queries to access the latter. In practice, this means that this data needs to be serialized somewhere. The same is true for the mobile api.
By default, this library serializes data regarding a session at $HOME/.whatsapp4j/[web|mobile]/<session_id>
. The data is stored in protobuf files.
If your application needs to serialize data in a different way, for example in a database create a custom implementation of ControllerSerializer. Then make sure to specify your implementation in the Whatsapp
builder. This is explained in the "How to create a connection" section.
When the session is closed, the onDisconnect method in any listener is invoked. These are the three reasons that can cause a disconnect:
DISCONNECTED
A normal disconnection. This doesn't indicate any error being thrown.
RECONNECTING
The client is being disconnected but only to reopen the connection. This always happens when the QR is first scanned for example.
LOGGED_OUT
The client was logged out by itself or by its companion. By default, no error is thrown if this happens, though this behaviour can be changed easily:
import it.auties.whatsapp.api.DisconnectReason;
import it.auties.whatsapp.api.Listener;import it.auties.whatsapp.api.WhatsappListener;
class ThrowOnLogOut implements Listener {
@Override
public void onDisconnected(DisconnectReason reason) {
if (reason != SocketEvent.LOGGED_OUT) {
return;
}
throw new RuntimeException("Hey, I was logged off :/");
}
}
BANNED
The client was banned by Whatsapp, usually happens when sending spam messages to people that aren't in your contact list
Access the store associated with a connection by calling the store method:
var store = api.store();
IMPORTANT: When your program first starts up, these fields will be empty. For each type of data, an event is fired and listenable using a WhatsappListener
You can access all the chats that are in memory:
var chats = store.chats();
Or the contacts:
var contacts = store.contacts();
Or even the status:
var status = store.status();
Data can also be easily queried by using these methods:
var chat = store.findChatByJid(jid);
var chat = store.findChatByName(name);
var chat = store.findChatByMessage(message);
var chats = store.findChatsByName(name);
var chat = store.findContactByJid(jid);
var contact = store.findContactByName(name);
var contacts = store.findContactsByName(name);
var chat = store.findStatusBySender(contact);
To access information about the companion device:
var companion = store.jid();
This object is a jid like any other, but it has the device field filled to distinguish it from the main one. Instead, if you only need the phone number:
var phoneNumber = store.jid().toPhoneNumber();
All the settings and metadata about the companion is available inside the Store class
var store = api.store();
Explore of the available methods!
Access keys store associated with a connection by calling the keys method:
var keys = api.keys();
There are several methods to access and query cryptographic data, but as it's only necessary for advanced users, please check the javadocs if this is what you need.
To send a message, start by finding the chat where the message should be sent. Here is an example:
var chat = api.store()
.findChatByName("My Awesome Friend")
.orElseThrow(() -> new NoSuchElementException("Hey, you don't exist"));
All types of messages supported by Whatsapp are supported by this library:
IMPORTANT: Buttons are not documented here because they are unstable. If you are interested you can try to use them, but they are not guaranteed to work. There are some examples in the tests directory.
Text
api.sendMessage(chat, "This is a text message!");
Complex text
var message = new TextMessageBuilder() // Create a new text message
.text("Check this video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ") // Set the text of the message
.canonicalUrl("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ") // Set the url of the message
.matchedText("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ") // Set the matched text for the url in the message
.title("A nice suprise") // Set the title of the url
.description("Check me out") // Set the description of the url
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, message);
Location
var location = new LocationMessageBuilder() // Create a new location message
.caption("Look at this!") // Set the caption of the message, that is the text below the file
.latitude(38.9193) // Set the longitude of the location to share
.longitude(1183.1389) // Set the latitude of the location to share
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, location);
Live location
var location = new LiveLocationMessageBuilder() // Create a new live location message
.caption("Look at this!") // Set the caption of the message, that is the text below the file. Not available if this message is live
.latitude(38.9193) // Set the longitude of the location to share
.longitude(1183.1389) // Set the latitude of the location to share
.accuracy(10) // Set the accuracy of the location in meters
.speed(12) // Set the speed of the device sharing the location in meter per endTimeStamp
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, location);
IMPORTANT: Live location updates are not supported by Whatsapp multi-device. No ETA has been given for a fix.
Group invite
var group = api.store()
.findChatByName("Programmers")
.filter(Chat::isGroup)
.orElseThrow(() -> new NoSuchElementException("Hey, you don't exist"));
var inviteCode = api.queryGroupInviteCode(group).join();
var groupInvite = new GroupInviteMessageBuilder() // Create a new group invite message
.caption("Come join my group of fellow programmers") // Set the caption of this message
.name(group.name()) // Set the name of the group
.groupJid(group.jid())) // Set the jid of the group
.inviteExpiration(ZonedDateTime.now().plusDays(3).toEpochSecond()) // Set the expiration of this invite
.inviteCode(inviteCode) // Set the code of the group
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, groupInvite);
Contact
var vcard = new ContactCardBuilder() // Create a new vcard
.name("A nice friend") // Set the name of the contact
.phoneNumber(contact) // Set the phone number of the contact
.build(); // Create the vcard
var contactMessage = new ContactMessageBuilder() // Create a new contact message
.name("A nice friend") // Set the display name of the contact
.vcard(vcard) // Set the vcard(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCard) of the contact
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, contactMessage);
Contact array
var contactsMessage = new ContactsArrayMessageBuilder() // Create a new contacts array message
.name("A nice friend") // Set the display name of the first contact that this message contains
.contacts(List.of(jack,lucy,jeff)) // Set a list of contact messages that this message wraps
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, contactsMessage);
Media
IMPORTANT:
The thumbnail for videos and gifs is generated automatically only if ffmpeg is installed on the host machine.
The length of videos, gifs and audios in seconds is computed automatically only if ffprobe is installed on the host machine.
To send a media, start by reading the content inside a byte array. You might want to read it from a file:
var media = Files.readAllBytes(Path.of("somewhere"));
Or from a URL:
var media = new URL(url).openStream().readAllBytes();
All medias supported by Whatsapp are supported by this library:
Image
var image = new ImageMessageSimpleBuilder() // Create a new image message builder
.media(media) // Set the image of this message
.caption("A nice image") // Set the caption of this message
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, image);
Audio or voice
var audio = new AudioMessageSimpleBuilder() // Create a new audio message builder
.media(urlMedia) // Set the audio of this message
.voiceMessage(false) // Set whether this message is a voice message
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, audio);
Video
var video = new VideoMessageSimpleBuilder() // Create a new video message builder
.media(urlMedia) // Set the video of this message
.caption("A nice video") // Set the caption of this message
.width(100) // Set the width of the video
.height(100) // Set the height of the video
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, video);
GIF(Video)
var gif = new GifMessageSimpleBuilder() // Create a new gif message builder
.media(urlMedia) // Set the gif of this message
.caption("A nice gif") // Set the caption of this message
.gifAttribution(VideoMessageAttribution.TENOR) // Set the source of the gif
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, gif);
IMPORTANT: Whatsapp doesn't support conventional gifs. Instead, videos can be played as gifs if particular attributes are set. Sending a conventional gif will result in an exception if detected or in undefined behaviour.
Document
var document = new DocumentMessageSimpleBuilder() // Create a new document message builder
.media(urlMedia) // Set the document of this message
.title("A nice pdf") // Set the title of the document
.fileName("pdf-test.pdf") // Set the name of the document
.pageCount(1) // Set the number of pages of the document
.build(); // Create the message
api.sendMessage(chat, document);
Reaction
var someMessage = ...; // The message to react to
api.sendReaction(someMessage, Emoji.RED_HEART); // Use the Emoji class for a list of all Emojis
var someMessage = ...; // The message to react to
api.removeReaction(someMessage); // Use the Emoji class for a list of all Emojis
If you want to wait for a single reply, use:
var response = api.awaitReply(info).join();
You can also register a listener, but in many cases the async/await paradigm is easier to use then callback based listeners.
var result = api.delete(someMessage, everyone); // Deletes a message for yourself or everyone
To change the status of the client:
api.changePresence(true); // online
api.changePresence(false); // offline
If you want to change the status of your companion, start by choosing the right presence: These are the allowed values:
Then, execute this method:
api.changePresence(chat, presence);
IMPORTANT: The changePresence method returns a CompletableFuture: remember to handle this async construct if needed
To query the last known status of a Contact, use the following snippet:
var lastKnownPresenceOptional = contact.lastKnownPresence();
If the returned value is an empty Optional, the last status of the contact is unknown.
Whatsapp starts sending updates regarding the presence of a contact only when:
To force Whatsapp to send these updates use:
api.subscribeToPresence(contact);
Then, after the subscribeToUserPresence's future is completed, query again the presence of that contact.
var status = api.queryAbout(contact) // A completable future
.join() // Wait for the future to complete
.flatMap(ContactAboutResponse::about) // Map the response to its status
.orElse(null); // If no status is available yield null
var picture = api.queryPicture(contact) // A completable future
.join() // Wait for the future to complete
.orElse(null); // If no picture is available yield null
var metadata = api.queryGroupMetadata(group); // A completable future
.join(); // Wait for the future to complete
var messages = chat.messages(); // All the messages in a chat
var firstMessage = chat.firstMessage(); // First message in a chat chronologically
var lastMessage = chat.lastMessage(); // Last message in a chat chronologically
var starredMessages = chat.starredMessages(); // All the starred messages in a chat
var future = api.muteChat(chat);
var future = api.unmuteChat(chat);
var future = api.archiveChat(chat);
var future = api.unarchiveChat(chat);
var future = api.changeEphemeralTimer(chat, ChatEphemeralTimer.ONE_WEEK);
var future = api.markChatRead(chat);
var future = api.markChatUnread(chat);
var future = api.pinChat(chat);
var future = api.unpinChat(chat);
var future = api.clearChat(chat, false);
var future = api.deleteChat(chat);
var future = api.addGroupParticipant(group, contact);
var future = api.removeGroupParticipant(group, contact);
var future = api.promoteGroupParticipant(group, contact);
var future = api.demoteGroupParticipant(group, contact);
var future = api.changeGroupSubject(group, newName);
var future = api.changeGroupDescription(group, newDescription);
var future = api.changeGroupSetting(group, GroupSetting.EDIT_GROUP_INFO, GroupPolicy.ANYONE);
var future = api.changeGroupPicture(group, img);
var future = api.createGroup("A nice name :)", friend, friend2);
var future = api.leaveGroup(group);
var future = api.queryGroupInviteCode(group);
var future = api.revokeGroupInvite(group);
var future = api.acceptGroupInvite(inviteCode);
var future = api.enable2fa("000000", "mail@domain.com");
var future = api.disable2fa();
var future = api.startCall(contact);
IMPORTANT: Currently there is no audio/video support
var future = api.stopCall(contact);
Create a community:
var future = api.createCommunity("New Community Name", "Optional community description");
Query community metadata:
var future = api.queryCommunityMetadata(communityJid);
Deactivate a community:
var future = api.deactivateCommunity(communityJid);
Change community picture:
byte[] imageBytes = ...; // Or use URI
var future = api.changeCommunityPicture(communityJid, imageBytes);
var removeFuture = api.changeCommunityPicture(communityJid, (byte[]) null); // Remove picture
Change community subject (name):
var future = api.changeCommunitySubject(communityJid, "Updated Community Name");
Change community description:
var future = api.changeCommunityDescription(communityJid, "Updated description");
var removeFuture = api.changeCommunityDescription(communityJid, null); // Remove description
Change community setting:
// Who can add groups (MODIFY_GROUPS) or add participants (ADD_PARTICIPANTS)
var future = api.changeCommunitySetting(communityJid, CommunitySetting.MODIFY_GROUPS, ChatSettingPolicy.ADMINS);
Link groups to a community:
var future = api.addCommunityGroups(communityJid, groupJid1, groupJid2);
Unlink a group from a community:
var future = api.removeCommunityGroup(communityJid, groupJid);
Promote participants to admin in a community:
var future = api.promoteCommunityParticipants(communityJid, contactJid1, contactJid2);
Demote participants to member in a community:
var future = api.demoteCommunityParticipants(communityJid, contactJid1, contactJid2);
Add participants to a community: (Adds to announcement group)
var future = api.addCommunityParticipants(communityJid, contactJid1, contactJid2);
Remove participants from a community:
var future = api.removeCommunityParticipants(communityJid, contactJid1, contactJid2);
Leave a community: (Leaves community and all linked groups)
var future = api.leaveCommunity(communityJid);
Query recommended newsletters:
var future = api.queryRecommendedNewsletters("US", 50); // Country code and limit
Query newsletter messages:
var future = api.queryNewsletterMessages(newsletterJid, 100); // Query last 100 messages
Subscribe to newsletter reactions:
var future = api.subscribeToNewsletterReactions(newsletterJid);
Create a newsletter:
byte[] pictureBytes = ...; // Optional picture
var future = api.createNewsletter("My Newsletter", "Description", pictureBytes);
var simpleFuture = api.createNewsletter("Simple Newsletter"); // Name only
Change newsletter description:
var future = api.changeNewsletterDescription(newsletterJid, "New Description");
var removeFuture = api.changeNewsletterDescription(newsletterJid, null); // Remove description
Join a newsletter:
var future = api.joinNewsletter(newsletterJid);
Leave a newsletter:
var future = api.leaveNewsletter(newsletterJid);
Query newsletter subscribers count:
var future = api.queryNewsletterSubscribers(newsletterJid);
Invite newsletter admins: (Sends an invite message to the user)
var future = api.inviteNewsletterAdmins(newsletterJid, "Join as admin!", adminJid1, adminJid2);
Revoke newsletter admin invite:
var future = api.revokeNewsletterAdminInvite(newsletterJid, adminJid);
Accept newsletter admin invite:
var future = api.acceptNewsletterAdminInvite(newsletterJid);
Query newsletter metadata:
// Role required depends on what info you need (e.g., GUEST, SUBSCRIBER, ADMIN)
var future = api.queryNewsletter(newsletterJid, NewsletterViewerRole.SUBSCRIBER);
Send newsletter message:
var future = api.sendNewsletterMessage(newsletterJid, message);
Edit newsletter message:
var future = api.editMessage(oldMessage, newContent);
Delete newsletter message:
var future = api.deleteMessage(messageToDelete);
Download newsletter media:
var future = api.downloadMedia(mediaMessageInfo);
Some methods may not be listed here, all contributions are welcomed to this documentation!
Some methods may not be supported on the mobile api, please report them, so I can fix them.
Ideally I'd like all of them to work.