WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion active users. When requested, WhatsApp provides users with an account info report that contains details about their account activity and settings. This comprehensive report can be useful for reviewing your own account details or investigating suspicious account activity.
The WhatsApp account report contains information on your personal details, privacy settings, groups, contacts, chat history, media, payments, security, usage statistics, and more. In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at what’s included in a WhatsApp account report and why it can be useful to access this information.
Overview of WhatsApp Account Report
The WhatsApp account info report is a downloadable file that contains the full details associated with a WhatsApp account. It is available in HTML format so it can be viewed in any web browser. The report sections are organized into clear categories with subheadings for easy navigation.
Some of the key types of information included in the report are:
- Account info like phone number, profile name, about info
- Privacy settings for last seen, profile photo, read receipts, etc.
- All groups a user is participating in
- Full list of contacts and contact info
- Media files like photos, videos, audio files
- Chat history and messages
- Payments info and transaction details
- Security info like password changes, login attempts
- Usage statistics like number of messages sent/received
The report aims to provide the complete activity record and account details in one place for the requested WhatsApp account. It can include several thousand lines of data depending on factors like number of chats, media files, groups, and contacts.
Requesting Your WhatsApp Account Report
To obtain your own WhatsApp account report:
1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings
2. Select Account > Request account info
3. Tap Request report and confirm when prompted
The report will be queued and usually delivered within 3-4 days to the email associated with your WhatsApp account. It may take longer during busy periods. Make sure to check your spam folder if you don’t receive it in your inbox.
The report will be encrypted and password protected for privacy. WhatsApp will send you an additional email with the password to open the report file. Make sure not to lose this or you won’t be able to access your report.
How to Read and Understand Your Report
Once you receive your WhatsApp account report, you’ll need to decrypt it using the provided password before you can view the information. The report file is in HTML format so you can open it in any desktop or mobile browser.
Here are some tips for navigating and making sense of your account report:
- Scroll through the table of contents first to see the report structure and key sections.
- Pay attention to the account info, security, and usage statistics sections for a quick overview.
- Search for specific keywords or contacts if looking for something.
- Open chat histories in a text editor to easily read or search message content.
- Check media files like photos to review images and videos.
- Compare usage data like messages sent per day to spot anomalies.
- Check all groups, events, and business tools for unfamiliar titles.
- Bookmark or save a copy of the report for future reference.
Taking the time to thoroughly review your WhatsApp account report can reveal many insights about your account activity, security, usage patterns, and potential issues.
What’s Included in a WhatsApp Account Report
Now let’s take a more detailed look at the key sections and types of data included in a full WhatsApp account report:
Account Information
This section provides basic identifying details about the WhatsApp account:
- Phone number associated with the account
- Profile name set by the user
- “About” description added to the profile
- Profile photo at the time of the report
- Account registration date
Reviewing the account info can quickly verify you have the right report for the intended user. It can also show if any profile details like name or photo have been recently changed.
Privacy Settings
WhatsApp has extensive privacy controls available under Settings > Account > Privacy. The account report documents the enabled status of each privacy setting:
- Last Seen – Shows when user was last online
- Profile Photo – Controls who can see profile photo
- About – Controls who can see “About” text
- Status – Controls who can view status updates
- Read Receipts – Shows if message read statuses are enabled
Checking privacy settings can reveal if they have been changed from default or expected values. This section is useful to check if certain account info has been made more private or public recently.
Groups
The account report contains a list of every WhatsApp group the account is participating in. For each group it includes:
- Group name
- Group ID
- Group admin name
- Date user joined group
Groups take up a large section of the report. It’s helpful to scan the list of group names and IDs to identify any unknown or suspicious groups. You can also identify patterns in the types of groups joined and how long the user has been a member.
Contacts
An alphabetical list of all WhatsApp contacts is included with details like:
- Contact name
- Phone number
- Date added
- Last seen date
The contacts list reveals who the user communicates with frequently on WhatsApp. You can check for unknown contacts or patterns in the types of contacts added.
Blocked Contacts
Any contacts blocked by the user are listed in this section, which can identify people the user explicitly did not want to receive messages from.
Chat History
One of the largest sections, the chat history contains the complete message records between the user and each of their WhatsApp contacts. This includes:
- All one-on-one chats with contacts
- All group chats they are a member of
- Date and timestamp of every message
- Full message content including text, images, videos, documents
- Message status showing if sent, delivered, read
The chat history allows you to do a deep dive into the account’s conversations, media sharing, and messaging frequency. You can search key terms to find relevant messages and reconstruct conversation timelines.
Media Files
All photos, videos, audio, documents and other files ever sent or received by the account are included here. Media can be viewed or downloaded from the report. scan closely to are no conversation chains It’s useful for checking if any suspicious media files were transmitted.
Call History
You can find a list of all incoming and outgoing WhatsApp calls made by the account. Details include:
- Phone number called
- Call duration
- Call date/time
- Call type – missed, incoming, outgoing
Checking call records can identify frequent or unusual calling patterns. The list may also contain unknown numbers that do not appear in the contacts list.
Payments (If Enabled)
For accounts with WhatsApp Pay enabled, there is a section with full transaction details:
- List of all sent and received payments
- Name, account number, bank for each payment recipient
- Payment date and amount
- Payment ID and status
This payments data allows monitoring of payment activity and identifying suspicious transactions. Having the recipient details is helpful for verification.
Security Events
WhatsApp records important security events on an account like:
- Password changes
- Enabling/disabling two-step verification
- Changes in email address associated with account
- Attempted logins/verifications
Checking this section can reveal if critical account security changes have been made or any unauthorized access attempts occurred.
User Statistics
Usage statistics are provided to highlight how actively the account is utilized. This includes:
- Number of messages sent and received (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Number of calls made and received
- Number of groups participated in
- Number of media files shared
The usage data provides an overview of how heavily the account is utilized. You can spot major changes in activity levels or usage patterns that seem unusual.
User Device Information
Details are included on the mobile devices used to access the WhatsApp account:
- Device make and model names
- Operating system and version
- Last login date and IP address
- Registration date for device on account
This identifies the smartphones, tablets or computers used to access WhatsApp. New or unknown devices in the list may indicate unauthorized access.
Linked Accounts
Any Facebook, Instagram or other accounts linked to the user’s WhatsApp account are listed here. Linking allows cross-posting WhatsApp statuses to other apps.
Uses of Your WhatsApp Account Report
Now that you understand the wealth of data included in a WhatsApp account report, here are some of the key uses for this information:
Review Personal Usage
For your own account, the report provides insight into your WhatsApp usage, conversations, groups, and contacts. It can jog your memory on past interactions or help find specific information.
Monitor Children’s Activity
Parents can review children’s WhatsApp report to ensure they are using it appropriately and not encountering suspicious contacts or content.
Check Account Security
You can scan your report for any unauthorized account access, unknown logins, or security changes made without your knowledge.
Investigate Suspicious Behavior
If you suspect suspicious activity on an account, the report provides data to potentially confirm unauthorized access or conversations.
Recover Deleted Information
Due to WhatsApp’s backup of all historical account data, your report may contain valuable information you deleted and need to recover.
Identify Spam & Scams
Check your contacts and chat history for any unknown people sending suspicious links or trying to obtain personal information.
Prepare Legal Evidence
The detailed account information may be useful as supporting evidence in legal proceedings or investigations.
Identify Malware Impact
If your device had malware, look for unauthorized contacts, messages, or app logins that may have resulted from it.
WhatsApp Report Limitations
While WhatsApp account reports are incredibly detailed, there are some limitations to consider:
- Only available for your own account – You cannot request reports for other users.
- Online activity not included – Does not show content viewed or account usage within WhatsApp.
- Advanced analytics not provided – Very basic usage statistics, no graphs or visualizations.
- Text-only formats – Media files must be viewed separately, no embedded images in chats.
- Delay in delivery – Reports typically take 3-4 days to process and deliver.
- Password protected – Report must be decrypted before viewing, don’t lose password.
- Large file size – Reports can be hundreds of MB depending on account size.
- No technical support – WhatsApp does not assist with understanding or using reports.
While comprehensive, the account reports have areas for improvement in terms of analysis, formatting, convenience, and support. Third-party tools are available that provide better WhatsApp reporting and monitoring capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about WhatsApp account reports:
How far back does the WhatsApp report history go?
The report contains your full account history from the date of registration. For most users this can provide years of historical data.
Does WhatsApp notify a user when someone downloads their report?
No, WhatsApp does not notify or provide indication to a user that an account report has been downloaded. The report request and download is confidential.
Can I request an account report on behalf of someone else?
No, account reports can only be requested by the registered account holder directly from within WhatsApp. You cannot obtain full reports on other users.
What should I do if I lost the password to decrypt the report?
Is it possible to get a WhatsApp report in CSV or other data format?No, WhatsApp only provides account reports in a password-protected HTML web page format. There is no option for CSV or other raw data output. You would need to extract and convert the data manually.
Can I request account reports through the WhatsApp Business API or via an automated tool?
No, the account info report can only be requested manually by each user directly on their device via the WhatsApp apps at this time. There are no API or automation options.
Conclusion
The WhatsApp account report provides an unparalleled level of detail into your usage, conversations, groups, media files, payments, security, and more. While the format has some limitations, the wealth of historical data can provide valuable insights and surveillance of activity. If you need to monitor your child’s usage, check account security, recover lost data, or identify suspicious behavior, downloading and checking your WhatsApp report can be extremely informative. Just be sure to save the decryption password in order to access the report contents.