Help center

Wualab copies WhatsApp photos, videos, audio, voice notes and documents from an Android phone to your computer or a USB drive over a cable. It verifies every file, organizes them by month and type, and lets you search them by name, amount, reference number or any word that appears in photos.

It is most useful when you have no WhatsApp backup or need to find receipts, contracts or IDs someone sent you by chat.

• A Mac or Windows computer.
• The Android phone with WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business, and its PIN or pattern.
• A USB cable that carries data (ideally the phone's original one).
• Space for the rescued files: on the computer or on a USB drive formatted as exFAT.

You don't need internet to rescue or to browse rescued files; only to create the account and activate the rescue.

For now, cable rescue is Android only. With an iPhone you can export each chat from WhatsApp (More → Export chat) and import it into Wualab to organize and search it.

Downloading the app, checking what is on the phone before copying and browsing what you already rescued is free. You pay when copying: one rescue per phone, or the Professional license if you serve several clients.

Wualab is downloaded from our website, not the App Store, so the Mac asks you to confirm the first time:

1. Open the .dmg file and drag Wualab to Applications.
2. Open Wualab. When the warning appears, click Done (don't move it to the Trash).
3. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom and click “Open Anyway”.
4. Confirm with your password or Touch ID. You only do this once.

1. If the browser says the file isn't commonly downloaded: on the download click … → Keep → Show more → Keep anyway.
2. Open the installer. If “Windows protected your PC” appears, click More info and then Run anyway.
3. Follow the installer.

On Windows 11 with “Smart App Control” turned on, the installation may be blocked with no option to continue. Write to us and we'll help.

Open the Apple menu → About This Mac. If it says “Chip Apple M1, M2, M3…”, download the Apple chip version. If it says “Processor Intel”, the Intel one.

When there is a new version, the app shows “Version X available” at the top right. Click it, download the installer and replace the app. Your rescued files and account are not affected.

Wualab reads the phone using “USB debugging”, an Android developer option. You turn it on in two steps and turn it off when you're done.

1. Turn on Developer options: in Settings → About phone, tap “Build number” 7 times (enter your PIN if asked).
2. Open Developer options and turn on “USB debugging”.
3. Connect the cable, unlock the phone and in “Allow USB debugging?” check “Always allow from this computer” and tap Allow.

Below are the exact paths for each brand. Nothing is installed on the phone.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Software information → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → Developer options (at the bottom) → USB debugging.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → MIUI version (or HyperOS version).
• Debugging: Settings → Additional settings → Developer options → USB debugging.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → System & updates → Developer options → USB debugging.

Also turn on “Allow ADB debugging in charge only mode”: without it, these brands don't allow reading the phone.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About device → Version → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → Additional settings → Developer options → USB debugging. On OnePlus: Settings → System → Developer options.

These brands sometimes turn the options off by themselves. If the phone stops showing up, turn them on again.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Software version → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging. On some models they are in Settings → Additional settings.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Software version.
• Debugging: Settings → System management → Developer options → USB debugging. On recent models: Settings → System → Developer options.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging. On some models they are inside System → Advanced.

• Tap 7 times: Settings → About phone → Software info → Build number.
• Debugging: Settings → System → Developer options → USB debugging.

Names vary a little by brand and Android version. Type “build” in the Settings search to find where to tap 7 times, then “debugging” to find USB debugging.

When you finish, unplug the phone and turn off “USB debugging” in Developer options (or turn Developer options off entirely). That way nobody else can read the phone over a cable.

1. Connect: Wualab detects the phone and tells you what is missing if it doesn't show up.
2. Check (free): it reads which files there are, from which dates and how big they are, without copying anything.
3. Choose: which file types, from which date, and which drive or folder to save them to.
4. Copy: it copies, verifies every file and organizes them by month and type. At the end it opens the result.

It depends on the number of files and the cable. Checking a full phone can take several minutes the first time; copying tens of gigabytes, from half an hour to a couple of hours. Wualab shows progress and the estimated time.

No problem: what was copied is kept. Connect the phone again, open the rescue and click Resume. It continues where it left off, without copying again what was already complete.

Yes. If you choose a drive that already has an Wualab backup, it suggests adding to it and only copies what is missing. It also recognizes files that are already in another folder on that drive.

One with enough space, formatted as exFAT, which works on Mac and Windows. Wualab checks the space and format before copying.

• NTFS (Windows): the Mac can only read it, not write to it.
• FAT32: can't store files over 4 GB. If there is a video like that, Wualab tells you.

On Android, Wualab copies the files (photos, videos, audio, voice notes and documents) and tells you when the phone's last message backup was. Chat text can be added by exporting each chat from WhatsApp and importing it into Wualab.

No. Wualab copies what is still in the phone's storage. That's why it's best to rescue as soon as possible and check for free what is there before paying.

• Try another cable: many, especially charger cables, only charge and don't carry data.
• Plug it straight into the computer, not into a hub or a monitor.
• Check that the phone shows it is charging.
• If Wualab says the phone is connected but debugging is missing, follow the steps for your brand.

1. Unlock the phone and leave it on the home screen.
2. Unplug and plug the cable back in.
3. If it still doesn't appear, in Developer options tap “Revoke USB debugging authorizations” and connect again.

Check that the phone has WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business with downloaded files. If the phone restarted and you haven't unlocked it since, unlock it once and check again. If your WhatsApp is a duplicate (App twin, Dual Messenger) or in Secure Folder, see “I use a second WhatsApp”.

Choose “File transfer” (or “Transfer files”). Most phones also work with “Charging only”, but Huawei and Honor also need “Allow ADB debugging in charge only mode”.

To read the phone you must unlock it and accept the USB debugging prompt on the screen. If the screen doesn't respond or you don't know the PIN, Wualab can't get in: Android prevents it to protect the data.

• If you can see the screen but touch doesn't work: connect a USB mouse with an OTG adapter to unlock and tap Allow.
• If you can't see the screen: a technician can replace it; then the rescue is possible.
• If you had authorized this computer before (“Always allow”), it may work even without seeing the screen, as long as the phone is unlocked.

Duplicated WhatsApp apps (Samsung Dual Messenger, Xiaomi Dual apps, Huawei App twin and others) and those in Samsung Secure Folder live in a separate space on the phone that can't be read over a cable.

To rescue them, export each chat from that WhatsApp (More → Export chat → Include media) and import it into Wualab. Regular WhatsApp Business is rescued over the cable.

Windows needs the phone's USB driver. It is almost always installed automatically by Windows Update the first time you connect; wait a minute and reconnect.

• Samsung: install the “Samsung Android USB Driver” from Samsung's developer website.
• Google Pixel: install the “Google USB Driver”.
• Other brands: search for “USB driver” with your brand name on its official website, or check Device Manager: if the phone shows a warning sign, the driver is missing.

Follow “Installing on Mac”: you need to click “Open Anyway” in System Settings → Privacy & Security. If you moved it to the Trash, download it again.

Write to us with what happened, the phone model and your computer's operating system. Please don't send us your files or screenshots with other people's data.

Copying one phone. For 30 days you can rescue that same phone again without paying again, for example to bring in what arrived later.

For firms serving several clients: includes a number of rescues per month and computers, shown in My account. It renews automatically every month or year and you can cancel anytime from My account → Manage license.

The store takes time to confirm the payment, usually less than 24 hours. As soon as it arrives we email you and the rescue appears in your account.

After paying, a technician writes to you within one business day to schedule a session. They help you prepare the phone and do the rescue. It includes one rescue.

The conditions are in the Terms and conditions. To request a refund or an invoice, write to us from your account email.

In My account, at the bottom, click “Delete my account”. Your account, unused credits and license are deleted. Rescued files on your drives are not touched.

No. Everything is processed on your computer: copying, reading text in photos and transcribing voice notes. Your account only stores your purchases and licenses.

Only if it's yours or its owner expressly authorizes you. Using Wualab to read a phone without permission is prohibited and may be a crime.