WhatsApp Sync
Dex now syncs with WhatsApp on a daily basis, automatically importing relevant contacts and updating key details for a seamless experience.
Synced Information
- Contacts in 1:1 chats and groups of up to five people, counting you
- Phone numbers (may require merging for duplicates)
- Your last few messages with each contact, up to five, and the date of the latest, for 'Last Interaction' tracking
Key Features
- Automatic daily import of contacts including phone numbers
- Updates last interaction based on recent messages
- Refreshes Keep-in-Touch reminders with each interaction
- Shows the last message snippet on each contact card
Getting Started
You can connect WhatsApp from the Dex web app or the Dex mobile app. Dex gives you a pairing code, and you type it into WhatsApp on your phone. There's nothing to scan.
Open the WhatsApp connect screen
- On the web: go to the Sync & Import/Export page and click Connect next to WhatsApp.
- In the mobile app: go to Settings → Sync and integrations and tap WhatsApp.
Enter your WhatsApp phone number
Type the phone number of the WhatsApp account you want to connect, including the country code, then click Get my pairing code.
Enter the code in WhatsApp on your phone
Dex shows an 8-character code and how long it's valid for. On the phone where you use WhatsApp:
- iPhone: open WhatsApp, then Settings. Android: open WhatsApp and tap ⋮ (More options).
- Tap Linked devices, then Link a device.
- Tap Link with phone number instead and enter the code.
In the mobile app, tap Copy code, then Open WhatsApp, and paste the code there.
You're connected
Dex shows Your WhatsApp is connected with the connected number. You can close the dialog.
If the code won't link
- "This code expired." Each code lasts a few minutes, and the screen counts down. Click Get a new code. If codes keep expiring, check that the number you typed is the one registered to your WhatsApp account.
- "That WhatsApp account uses a different number." The code was entered in a WhatsApp account whose number doesn't match the one you typed in Dex. Click Change number, enter the right number, and get a new code.
- "We couldn't reach WhatsApp for this number." Check the number and its country code, and that it has a WhatsApp account.
- "WhatsApp couldn't link." WhatsApp turned down that attempt. Get a new code and try again. A second try usually works.
- "Too many codes requested." Dex limits how often you can ask for a code. Wait for the time shown, then try again.
- "Another connection attempt is in progress." Dex may be open in another tab or on another device. Close it, wait a minute and try again.
- "This WhatsApp account can't be linked with a code yet." Email [email protected] and we'll help you connect it.
- WhatsApp says you've reached the linked-device limit. WhatsApp allows a few linked devices per account. Remove one you no longer use under Linked devices, then try again.
- The mobile app shows "Available on web". Update Dex to the latest version and reopen it.
What Doesn't Sync
Dex does not import your WhatsApp chat history, and there is no WhatsApp inbox inside Dex. What Dex keeps per contact is short snippets of your last few messages, up to five, and the date of the latest one. The date drives 'Last Interaction' and refreshes your Keep-in-Touch reminders. The contact card shows the newest snippet, and Dex's AI features can use all of them.
So these do not come across:
- Your conversations. Dex keeps up to five recent messages per contact as short text snippets. Anything older in the thread is not kept.
- Attachments and media. Photos, documents and voice notes are not imported; Dex stores text only.
- Groups with more than five people, counting you. Contacts in larger group chats are not imported at all.
Dex can, separately, write a daily summary of your conversations to the relevant contacts' timelines. See Turning off automatic conversation notes for what that covers and how to switch it off.
WhatsApp Says Connected but New Messages Aren't Showing Up
Dex checks for new WhatsApp messages every few minutes, so a recent message normally shows up the same day. Remember too that a new message updates the contact's last interaction and snippet — it does not add the conversation to Dex (see What Doesn't Sync).
If a day or two has passed and nothing is updating at all, work through these:
Check the chats are ones Dex syncs
Only 1:1 chats and groups of up to five people, counting you, are imported. If the activity you are expecting is all in a large group, nothing will appear.
Re-link your WhatsApp device
The 'Connected' label reflects the last known state of the link, not a live check, so a session that has quietly expired on WhatsApp's side can still read as connected. On the Sync & Import/Export page, disconnect WhatsApp and connect again with a new pairing code. In the mobile app, tap the WhatsApp row under Settings → Sync and integrations. It shows Reconnect when Dex knows the link has dropped.
Confirm the contact isn't a duplicate
WhatsApp contacts arrive with phone numbers, which can create a second record alongside one you already had. Check whether the recent activity landed on a duplicate contact, and merge the two if so.
Still nothing? Tell us
Email [email protected] with the phone number on the WhatsApp account and roughly when the messages stopped appearing, and we will check the sync from our side.
Turning off automatic conversation notes
Separately from the sync itself, Dex can summarize your conversations each night into notes on the relevant contacts' timelines, and email you a morning recap of what it wrote. This covers WhatsApp, iMessage, LinkedIn and Instagram messages.
Both switches live under Settings → Workflow → Automation on the web:
- Conversation summaries turns the timeline notes on or off. Turn it off and WhatsApp stays connected and keeps updating last interactions. Only the notes stop.
- Conversation summaries email turns the morning recap email on or off. It only appears while Conversation summaries is on.