WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the key features of WhatsApp is the ability to create broadcast lists to send messages to multiple contacts at once.
If you have created broadcast lists in WhatsApp, you may want to export these lists to backup or use outside of WhatsApp. Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not have a built-in feature to export broadcast lists. However, there are a few workarounds you can use to export your WhatsApp broadcast lists.
Using Third-Party Apps to Export WhatsApp Broadcast Lists
The easiest way to export your WhatsApp broadcast lists is by using a third-party app. There are several apps available for both Android and iOS that can access and export your WhatsApp data, including broadcast lists.
Some popular apps that allow exporting WhatsApp broadcast lists include:
- Backup Trans for WhatsApp (Android)
- Export Chat for WhatsApp (Android)
- ChatBackup for WhatsApp (iOS)
- Backup&Restore for WhatsApp (iOS)
The process may differ slightly for each app, but generally it involves:
- Downloading and installing the app on your device
- Granting the required permissions for the app to access your WhatsApp data
- Selecting the broadcast lists you want to export
- Choosing the export format, such as .csv or .txt
- Selecting the destination folder to save the exported file
The exported file can then be accessed through your device’s file manager or opened on a computer. One limitation of using third-party apps is you may need to root/jailbreak your device for full access to WhatsApp data.
Using Google Contacts to Export WhatsApp Broadcast Lists
If you don’t want to use a third-party app, another option is exporting your WhatsApp broadcast lists through Google Contacts.
This method works by first syncing your WhatsApp contacts to your Google account. Your broadcast lists will show up as ‘groups’ in Google Contacts. You can then export these groups to a CSV file.
Here are the steps to export using Google Contacts:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Google > Sync Contacts
- Open Contacts on your Android device and enable syncing to your Google Account
- Open the Contacts app on your computer’s browser (contacts.google.com)
- Go to Manage Groups and you will see your WhatsApp broadcast lists
- Click Export to export the groups as a CSV file
The limitation with this method is that only your broadcast list names are exported, not the individual contacts in each list. But it does provide a way to export without third-party apps.
Using Local Database Extraction
You can also directly access the WhatsApp database on your device and extract your broadcast lists from there. This involves using database extraction tools to export the msgstore.db file from your phone.
For Android devices, you need to root your phone first to access the database. Then you can use an app like SQLite Editor to open the msgstore.db file and export the necessary broadcast list data to a CSV file.
For iOS devices, you need to jailbreak first. Then you can use a tool like iBackupBot to open your device’s WhatsApp backup and extract the database. Again, the broadcast lists can then be exported from the database.
The benefit of this method is you can fully export all contacts in each broadcast list. But it requires more technical knowledge and only works if you can root/jailbreak your device.
Using WhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp also offers a Business API that allows third-party apps to programmatically access WhatsApp data. The WhatsApp Business API provides endpoints to retrieve broadcast list details and contacts.
Developers can use the Business API to build custom tools to export WhatsApp broadcast lists. However, implementing a solution with the Business API requires more development work compared to using an existing third-party app.
Here are some key limitations of using the WhatsApp Business API:
- Requires approval and setup of a WhatsApp Business account
- Only available for WhatsApp Business accounts, not standard WhatsApp
- Requires developing a custom API client app to access the endpoints
- Lower daily rate limits compared to third-party apps
For most users, building a tool with the Business API is overkill compared to simply using a third-party app. But the Business API provides another programmatic option for large organizations to export data.
Manually Copying Broadcast List Contacts
If you only have a few small broadcast lists, you can also manually export them by copying each contact from WhatsApp.
The steps would be:
- Open the broadcast list in WhatsApp
- Long press on each contact’s name to open the context menu
- Select Copy Contact
- Paste the copied contact into your desired spreadsheet or document
- Repeat for each contact in the broadcast list
This is obviously time consuming compared to automated exports. But for very small lists, it may be faster than installing a new app.
Export Options Comparison
To summarize, here is a comparison of the different options for exporting your WhatsApp broadcast lists:
| Method | Format | Data Exported | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third-party apps | CSV, TXT | Full lists and contacts | Easy |
| Google Contacts | CSV | Only list names | Medium |
| Local database | CSV | Full lists and contacts | Hard |
| Business API | JSON, XML | Full lists and contacts | Hard |
| Manual copy | Any | Full lists and contacts | Easy but very tedious |
Conclusion
While WhatsApp doesn’t have a built-in broadcast list export feature, there are several workarounds available. The easiest options involve using a third-party app or syncing your contacts through Google. More advanced alternatives include extracting the local database or using the Business API.
Consider how many broadcast lists you need to export and how much contact data you need. For most users, a third-party app like Backup Trans or Export Chat will provide the simplest way to export your WhatsApp broadcast lists.
Just be sure to only use reputable apps and be cautious of any apps requesting unnecessary permissions. With the right tool, you can easily back up your WhatsApp broadcast lists for safekeeping outside of the app.
WhatsApp’s messaging capabilities continue to improve, but its backup and export options are still limited. Hopefully in the future they will add better native tools for exporting broadcast lists and other WhatsApp data.
Copying huge WhatApp groups and broadcast lists is extremely tedious and time-consuming. It may make sense for smaller groups, but once your WhatsApp groups grow beyond, say, 10 people, it becomes too cumbersome to copy members’ contacts one-by-one.
That’s why most WhatsApp users rely on the export options mentioned in this article to manage large broadcast lists. Being able to quickly export entire groups with hundreds of members saves an incredible amount of time compared to manual contacts copying.
The WhatsApp Business API is particularly promising for larger organizations that need to programmatically interface with WhatsApp data. For personal use, third-party apps provide the best combination of convenience and data access. Google Contacts sync is handy for lightweight broadcast list backups.
No matter which export method you choose, be sure to back up your WhatsApp broadcast lists periodically. A phone loss or app reinstall could wipe out your lists otherwise. Exporting to CSV or another standard format gives you the flexibility to restore lists when needed.
WhatsApp has said they are working on better native backup solutions. But in the meantime, the methods described here will enable you to reliably export your WhatsApp broadcast lists for safekeeping and external use. Just test any third-party apps with non-critical data first and ensure you are comfortable with the security and permission levels before exporting your main contact lists.