Answers.Body: <p>This is an old topic but still a good one. It seems that it moved a bit in the messaging environment and that one can actually communicate through third-part services with Whatsapp:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><p><a href="https://www.waboxapp.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Waboxapp</a></p></li>
  <li><p><a href="https://www.whatsmate.net/whatsapp-gateway-api.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Whatsmate</a></p></li>
  <li><p><a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/business/api" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Whatsapp Business</a></p></li>
  </ul>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2019-11-04T14:41:30.407Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2019-11-04T14:41:30.407Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Guillaume Sorel
Answers.Body: <p>Regarding whatsapp I have been looking into that recently and I discovered that WhatsApp doesn't offer an API. So it is not possible to send or receive messages to/from whatsapp in CiviCRM. </p>
  
  <p>However it is possible to hack around this. You could create your own android app for sending whatsapp messages and then you run this app on your phone and this app talks to whats app on your phone. And CiviCRM talks to this app. This is how it might work however it is against the policy of whats app. So there is a risk that your whats app account might be blocked. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-05-06T18:48:33.490Z
Answers.Text: Thanks for the response and the ideas. I just wish WhatsApp would expose an API. Anyway, I have been searching on the web and found this on Github: [link](https://github.com/mgp25/Chat-API)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Sudesh
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-09-08T23:28:19.993Z
Answers.Text: "T&C: You will NOT use this API for marketing purposes (spam, massive sending...)." - this still applies, even if you're a non-profit.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Chris Burgess
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-05-04T14:30:54.857Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-05-04T14:30:54.857Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Jaap Jansma - CiviCooP
Answers.Body: <p>They haven't been any to my knowledge, but assuming whatsapp as an api to post messages, it shouldn't be too complicated to implement.</p>
  
  <p>If you are interested, you could write an extension and use the searchtask hook to add a "send via whatsapp" action
  <a href="http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC/hook_civicrm_searchTasks" rel="nofollow">http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC/hook_civicrm_searchTasks</a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-05-04T09:10:31.600Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-05-04T09:10:31.600Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Xavier
Answers.Body: <p>Looks like bulk SMS via WhatsApp is <a href="http://www.whatsapp.com/legal/?l=en" rel="nofollow">excluded from their Terms of Service</a> and that doing so <a href="https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/general/23154266" rel="nofollow">will result in disconnection</a>.</p>
  
  <p>Free messaging services are popular with spammers for obvious reasons, and WhatsApp will be doing their utmost to avoid their service being used in a way that doesn't suit their profile.</p>
  
  <p>I predict that any bulk WhatsApp integration implemented can anticipate a game of "cat and mouse" with the WhatsApp developers. If pursuing that path, budget accordingly - paid SMS may not be so expensive after all.</p>
  
  <p>If WhatsApp decide in future to allow promoted messages, they'll price it accordingly. The lack of bulk messaging in the platform (notwithstanding infrequent abuse attempts &amp; hasty shutdown) is a feature to them.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-09-08T23:37:21.840Z
Answers.Text: NB: I'm not calling you a spammer here; I don't know you. But I suspect WhatsApp have no interest in permitting "good" causes to use their service in a way they don't support, and don't want you to burn money and fail :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: Chris Burgess
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-09-08T23:36:14.953Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-09-08T23:36:14.953Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Chris Burgess
Answers.Body: <p>Clickatell (for which there is already an sms integration with civicrm) also offers whatsapp support.</p>
  <p>It would be great if the existing civicrm extension (<a href="https://github.com/veda-consulting/org.civicrm.sms.clickatell" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/veda-consulting/org.civicrm.sms.clickatell</a>) could be extended for whatsapp support!</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-03-13T11:36:48.937Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-03-13T11:36:48.937Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Richard van Oosterhout
Body: <p>CiviCRM SMS integration is a powerful feature. However, with many people moving to use instant messaging services like WhatsApp, has there been any move to integrate CiviCRM with and instant messenger, in particular, WhatsApp? Our organization has recently moved its bulk SMS database over to WhatsApp, as 90% of our members use WhatsApp. Being a non-profit, we gain from not having to pay for sending bulk SMS's.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-02-22T10:44:02.770Z
Comments.Text: No studies have been done on this subject since 2015?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Fatih ATEŞ
Tags: <civimail><sms>
Title: CiviCRM Integration wtih WhatsApp
ThreadText: # CiviCRM Integration wtih WhatsApp
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2015-05-04)
  
  CiviCRM SMS integration is a powerful feature. However, with many people moving to use instant messaging services like WhatsApp, has there been any move to integrate CiviCRM with and instant messenger, in particular, WhatsApp? Our organization has recently moved its bulk SMS database over to WhatsApp, as 90% of our members use WhatsApp. Being a non-profit, we gain from not having to pay for sending bulk SMS's.
  
  **Tags:** civimail, sms
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: No studies have been done on this subject since 2015?  
  
  ---
  
  ## 5 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2019-11-04. Score: 2 | Accepted answer
  
  This is an old topic but still a good one. It seems that it moved a bit in the messaging environment and that one can actually communicate through third-part services with Whatsapp:
  
  * [Waboxapp](https://www.waboxapp.com/)
  * [Whatsmate](https://www.whatsmate.net/whatsapp-gateway-api.html)
  * [Whatsapp Business](https://www.whatsapp.com/business/api)
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2015-05-04. Score: 3
  
  Regarding whatsapp I have been looking into that recently and I discovered that WhatsApp doesn't offer an API. So it is not possible to send or receive messages to/from whatsapp in CiviCRM.
  
  However it is possible to hack around this. You could create your own android app for sending whatsapp messages and then you run this app on your phone and this app talks to whats app on your phone. And CiviCRM talks to this app. This is how it might work however it is against the policy of whats app. So there is a risk that your whats app account might be blocked.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thanks for the response and the ideas. I just wish WhatsApp would expose an API. Anyway, I have been searching on the web and found this on Github: [link](https://github.com/mgp25/Chat-API)  
  > **username_4**: "T&C: You will NOT use this API for marketing purposes (spam, massive sending...)." - this still applies, even if you're a non-profit.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2015-05-04. Score: 3
  
  They haven't been any to my knowledge, but assuming whatsapp as an api to post messages, it shouldn't be too complicated to implement.
  
  If you are interested, you could write an extension and use the searchtask hook to add a "send via whatsapp" action
  <http://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC/hook_civicrm_searchTasks>
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2015-09-08. Score: 1
  
  Looks like bulk SMS via WhatsApp is [excluded from their Terms of Service](http://www.whatsapp.com/legal/?l=en) and that doing so [will result in disconnection](https://www.whatsapp.com/faq/en/general/23154266).
  
  Free messaging services are popular with spammers for obvious reasons, and WhatsApp will be doing their utmost to avoid their service being used in a way that doesn't suit their profile.
  
  I predict that any bulk WhatsApp integration implemented can anticipate a game of "cat and mouse" with the WhatsApp developers. If pursuing that path, budget accordingly - paid SMS may not be so expensive after all.
  
  If WhatsApp decide in future to allow promoted messages, they'll price it accordingly. The lack of bulk messaging in the platform (notwithstanding infrequent abuse attempts & hasty shutdown) is a feature to them.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: NB: I'm not calling you a spammer here; I don't know you. But I suspect WhatsApp have no interest in permitting "good" causes to use their service in a way they don't support, and don't want you to burn money and fail :)  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2022-03-13. Score: 0
  
  Clickatell (for which there is already an sms integration with civicrm) also offers whatsapp support.
  
  It would be great if the existing civicrm extension (<https://github.com/veda-consulting/org.civicrm.sms.clickatell>) could be extended for whatsapp support!
  
  
  ---
  
  