Detailed documentation - Wiki on Encrypted Android WhatsApp Backup

[connect-mahdi]

Hi @KnugiHK

Again, great project.
Expanding from my previous comment in the sister project Beginners Documentation or Wiki for WhatsApp-Key-DB-Extractor

Could you please elaborate on the information you already provide in the wiki on Encrypted Android WhatsApp Backup

In order to support the decryption, install pycryptodome if it is not installed

Does it mean, we do not need the prerequisite step using WhatsApp-Key-DB-Extractor ?

Crypt15 is now the easiest way to decrypt a backup. If you have the 32 bytes hex key generated when you enable End-to-End encrypted backup, you can use it to decrypt the backup. If you do not have the 32 bytes hex key, you can still use the key file extracted just like extacting key file for Crypt12 and Crypt14 to decrypt the backup.

Could you please elaborate ? It might be too technical to understand in condensed text.

Moreover, if the msgstore.db.cryptXX file in the device's WhatsApp directory (on Android in storage/emulated/0/Android/media/com.whatsapp is in a version earlier than 15, i.e. msgstore.db.crypt14 how is it possible de get to the 15 version ?

Encrypted Android WhatsApp Backup
I am a bit lost here. Could you please specify what that is ? :

• The result of an action from inside a WhatsApp app to do a local backup on the local storage of the device ?
• The result of an action from inside a WhatsApp app to do a remote backup on a Google account: but where are the files ???
• The result of just copying or adb pulling the Android folder storage/emulated/0/Android/media/com.whatsapp to another device ?

And if backup does it need to be encrypted with a password or done without password/encryption

Crypt15 (End-to-End Encrypted Backup)

Before proceeding with this method, you must first create an end-to-end encrypted backup. For detailed instructions, refer to WhatsApp's help center.

Could you please specify what that is ? Is it a local or remote backup

If you do not have the 32 bytes hex key (64 hexdigits), place the decryption key file (encrypted_backup.key) extracted from Android. If you gave the 32 bytes hex key, simply put the key in the shell.

Could you please elaborate on how we should achieve this ?

Thank you for your insights, I'm sorry to have such a limited understanding of the inner works of your project

[KnugiHK]

Does it mean, we do not need the prerequisite step using WhatsApp-Key-DB-Extractor ?

Although these two projects are related, the exporter tool doesn't rely on WhatsApp-Key-DB-Extractor. Therefore, the step in WhatsApp-Key-DB-Extractor isn't necessary when using the exporter.

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Could you please elaborate ? It might be too technical to understand in condensed text.

Moreover, if the msgstore.db.cryptXX file in the device's WhatsApp directory (on Android in storage/emulated/0/Android/media/com.whatsapp is in a version earlier than 15, i.e. msgstore.db.crypt14 how is it possible de get to the 15 version ?

Could you please specify what that is ? Is it a local or remote backup

As it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain the encryption keys for older backup formats (crypt12 and crypt14), the easiest way to retrieve WhatsApp databases is to focus on the end-to-end encrypted (crypt15) backups. Once enabled, all your future backups will be in crypt15 format. End-to-end encryption applies to both local and remote (Google Drive/iCloud) backups.

When you enable end-to-end encrypted backup in WhatsApp, you'll be prompted to either record the random 64-character encryption key or set a password for the backup. For use with the exporter, you should opt to record the encryption key (rather than setting a password). Then, when using the exporter, execute the following command:

$ wtsexporter -a -k <the encryption key> -b msgstore.db.crypt15

This will allow the exporter to handle everything, and there's no need to use WhatsApp-Key-DB-Extractor.

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Could you please elaborate on how we should achieve this ?

Are you asking about the encryption key file or the hex key? If you're referring to the hex key, you can find the relevant explanation above.

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I am a bit lost here. Could you please specify what that is ? :

The result of an action from inside a WhatsApp app to do a local backup on the local storage of the device ?
The result of an action from inside a WhatsApp app to do a remote backup on a Google account: but where are the files ???
The result of just copying or adb pulling the Android folder storage/emulated/0/Android/media/com.whatsapp to another device ?

And if backup does it need to be encrypted with a password or done without password/encryption

I'm not really sure what you're asking. Could you please clarify?

[connect-mahdi]

@KnugiHK
Thank you for your help. But I can't make sense of the following:

End-to-end encryption applies to both local and remote (Google Drive/iCloud) backups.

I am using WhatsApp Version 2.25.3.82 and I can not create a backup other than in a Google Account
Settings => Chats => Backup chats . The App only presents settings to backup to a Google Account
I can't find settings to create a local backup

And when I connect to my (soon to be legacy) Google Account I can't file the files that are backed up.
Sure, I can see that there is an online storage space taken by WhatsApp and containing the backup
(By the way the backup size will reach soon fill up all the available space of 15GB on the Google Account ...)

But I can't download the backed up files or folders.

Furthermore, in your presentation you specify:

Before proceeding with this method, you must first create an end-to-end encrypted backup. For detailed instructions, refer to WhatsApp's help center.

But WhatsApp help center on backups does not explain how to make a local backup... (end-to-end encrypted or not)
It explains only how to:

• either backup to Google Account
• or transfert chats and medias to another phone: How to transfer your chat history

Could you please help me here ?

[KnugiHK]

WhatsApp automatically creates a local backup on your phone, regardless of whether you choose to back up to Google Drive or not. However, if you access Google Drive through the app or website, you won't be able to download the backup directly. This is expected behavior, as Google doesn't allow users to download their backups. While there is a way to download them, it requires dev knowledge to work with the Google Drive API. That said, there are some third-party projects that achieve this.

[connect-mahdi]

Thank you @KnugiHK very much for your explanations

So when I will have activated an end-to-end backup which will be saved into my Google account, what would be the location on my device of the local backup made by WhatsApp ?

And where would I find msgstore.db.crypt15 that is required to run your command for the use-case Crypt15 (End-to-End Encrypted Backup) ? :

$ wtsexporter -a -k <the encryption key> -b msgstore.db.crypt15

[KnugiHK]

It should either be in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases/ or /sdcard/Android/media/com.whatsapp/Databases/.

Note that /sdcard may varies from different phone brand.

[connect-mahdi]

I am grateful for your answer @KnugiHK , but I don't understand...
I have never set up my sdcard as a backup location for WhatsApp, nor did the App asked or indicated that it would require an sdCard to function...
What then if I have no sdCard in my device set up? Any location on the internal storage ?
Would there be no local backup from WhatsApp if no sdCard ?

[KnugiHK]

I am grateful for your answer @KnugiHK , but I don't understand...
I have never set up my sdcard as a backup location for WhatsApp, nor did the App asked or indicated that it would require an sdCard to function...
What then if I have no sdCard in my device set up? Any location on the internal storage ?
Would there be no local backup from WhatsApp if no sdCard ?

It is just how Android works. You don't need an actual SD card to have that directory. Some phone manufacturers would also have a different name of the directory, it doesn't have to be /sdcard.

Or you can simply ignore the /sdcard part.