WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the key features of WhatsApp is video calling, which allows you to have face-to-face conversations with friends, family and colleagues.
While WhatsApp stores your chat history, it does not have a built-in feature to save or export your entire video call history. However, there are a few methods you can use to retrieve your past WhatsApp video call history.
Why You May Want Your WhatsApp Video Call History
Here are some common reasons why you may want to access your previous WhatsApp video call history:
- To view the timestamps and durations of past video calls for record keeping.
- To see who you frequently video call and your most recent conversations.
- To retrieve important discussions from work or personal video calls.
- To recover lost or accidentally deleted video call history.
- For troubleshooting connectivity or account issues.
Having a record of your WhatsApp video call history can provide useful insights into your usage and connections. The history could also help settle billing disputes if you use WhatsApp for work calls.
Where WhatsApp Video Call History Is Stored
When you make or receive WhatsApp video calls, certain call metadata is stored locally on your device and synced to WhatsApp’s servers:
- Timestamps of incoming and outgoing video calls.
- Call durations.
- Names and numbers of participants.
However, the actual video call content (the audio and video) is not stored by WhatsApp. The call history data serves to show you your recent video call activities in the app.
Ways To Retrieve WhatsApp Video Call History
Since WhatsApp does not have a built-in call history viewer, you will need to use third-party tools to access and extract your video call information. Here are some possible options:
Method 1: Export Chat History
WhatsApp lets you export your chat history to a downloadable ZIP file. This contains your messages, media files, and basic call logs from chats and group conversations. To do this:
- Open WhatsApp and tap More options > Settings > Chats > Chat history.
- Tap Export chat. Select a chat or tap Select all to export your entire chat history.
- Tap Export without media if you only want the text, or Export with media to include media files.
- The app will export a ZIP file to your internal storage downloads folder.
- Unzip the file and open the plain text document inside. It will have a basic log of your calls.
While this shows call timestamps, it does not give the full detailed call history. You will only see calls made within chat conversations, not individual contact call logs.
Method 2: Device Call History
Your smartphone’s call history log will have entries for WhatsApp video calls. To view it:
- Android: Open Phone app > Call History tab. WhatsApp video calls are marked as WhatsApp Call.
- iPhone: Open Phone app > Recents tab. Tap the info (i) icon by a call to see if it was a WhatsApp video call.
However, if you clear your device call logs frequently, you may not find all WhatsApp video call history here.
Method 3: Google Account History
If you use Android and back up call history to your Google Account, you can find WhatsApp call logs in your Google Dashboard:
- Go to myactivity.google.com and sign in to your Google Account.
- In the left menu, click on Call & SMS > Calls. This will show call history associated with your Google Account.
- Look for entries with WhatsApp as the source. Click on them to see call details and duration.
However, Google only stores a limited call history. So you may not find very old WhatsApp video calls here.
Method 4: Use Android Backup Extractors
You can use Android backup extractor tools to access WhatsApp data from Google Drive backups. They can recover more detailed call logs.
For example, tools like Jocala and iMyFone D-Back can restore call history from Google Drive backups from Android devices.
To use these extractor tools:
- First, backup WhatsApp data to Google Drive on your Android device.
- Download and install the backup extractor tool on your computer.
- Link your Google Account and select the backup to scan.
- The tool will extract your WhatsApp data including call logs from the cloud backup.
- You can then view detailed records of your WhatsApp video call history from the extracted data.
Method 5: Third-party WhatsApp Call History Viewers
Some third-party apps can directly access and view your WhatsApp call history:
- Call History Viewer for WhatsApp (Android only): Allows browsing call history within WhatsApp.
- WAMR (Android): Manager app that can view call history along with other WhatsApp data.
- WhatsApp Viewer (iOS): Extracts and displays call history from iPhone backups.
However, be cautious about privacy and security when using such apps. Only use reputed tools that do not compromise your data.
How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Video Call History
If you have deleted a WhatsApp call from your log by accident, there are a couple of ways to try recovering it:
- Use Android or iPhone data recovery software to extract WhatsApp data from phone backups.
- Use an Android backup extractor (like method 4 earlier) if you have a saved Google Drive backup.
- Rooted Android devices can install apps like DiskDigger to dig up deleted WhatsApp call files.
If the call history has been deleted from your device storage and there are no backups, it may be difficult to recover the deleted video calls.
How to Export and Save WhatsApp Video Call History
Once you have accessed your WhatsApp call history through one of the above methods, you can export and save the call log for long term storage and records.
On Android, you can export call history to a .CSV spreadsheet file or PDF using apps like Call History Exporter. On an iPhone, you can save the call logs to your computer from iTunes or iCloud backups.
To have an ongoing record, make sure to periodically back up your WhatsApp data. This will allow you to extract call history in the future if needed.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp itself does not provide official tools to export or view video call history, third-party apps and backup extractors make it possible to retrieve your full WhatsApp call log. This can help you recover lost call data or keep long term records if required.
Make sure to choose reputable apps, be cautious of privacy risks from unofficial tools, and regularly back up your WhatsApp data for easy access to call history when needed. With the right tools, you can save, view or export your WhatsApp video call history.