How to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone

1. Export the iPhone chat without media

Tellune’s current iPhone guide uses this sequence:

1. Open the one-to-one chat in WhatsApp.
2. Tap the contact name at the top.
3. Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
4. Choose Without Media.
5. Save the result to Files, or share it to Tellune.

WhatsApp can move labels or controls between releases. Its current Help Center export article is the right place to check if the route on your phone looks different.

2. Choose the file Tellune can read

Tellune accepts either:

• a WhatsApp .txt export; or
• a supported safe .zip containing the text transcript.

You don’t need to extract a supported .zip yourself. Tellune inspects the archive, looks for the transcript, and ignores files that aren’t the chat text. Unsafe archive paths, nested archives, and a ZIP without a usable transcript are rejected rather than guessed at.

Tellune’s importer rejects a selected file above 12 MB. It also stops if the expanded transcript exceeds 6,291,456 characters. Those are Tellune safety limits, not claims about how much WhatsApp will export.

If WhatsApp export isn’t available for the conversation you need, read when screenshots are the weaker but workable option. Don’t rename an unrelated archive to .zip; the contents still have to pass Tellune’s checks.

3. An export is not a WhatsApp backup

For Tellune, the useful control is Export Chat. The app reads the text file that control produces. A WhatsApp backup is not a supported Tellune import, so selecting a backup file will not substitute for the .txt transcript.

Choose Without Media because Tellune analyzes message text, sender boundaries, and readable timestamps. Attachments don’t become indicators. Excluding them also avoids handing the importer a media bundle it does not need.

This does not mean an export is guaranteed to contain every message ever sent. Tellune analyzes the supported text it can read from the file you provide. It does not fill missing lines, timestamps, or participants with estimates.

4. Fix an import that will not open

• The result is a .zip. Select it as-is. Tellune can read a supported safe ZIP when it contains the transcript.
• Tellune says the file is too large. Export again without media if you included it. If the text-focused result still exceeds Tellune’s limit, the app cannot import that file.
• No messages are found. Check that you selected the exported .txt or its supported ZIP, not a screenshot, backup, or media-only archive.
• The date order is unclear. Some exports can be read as day/month or month/day. Tellune asks you to confirm rather than silently choosing.
• More than two senders appear. Tellune analyzes one-to-one conversations. A group export is flagged and is not turned into a two-person result.
• Timing indicators are missing. Unreadable or absent timestamps can make timing-based output unavailable. The app does not estimate it.

After the file opens, confirm which participant is you and review the messages Tellune recognized. That review matters more than forcing a broken file through. The next guide explains how to read the resulting chat indicators without turning them into a verdict.

5. Keep the export private after saving it

The raw WhatsApp export is read and parsed on your device for the import and deterministic indicators. That statement does not cover screenshot extraction or optional written coaching, which have separate consented processing paths.

Only use a conversation you participated in and may lawfully access. Tellune is for adults and one-to-one chats. It is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta, and its iPhone release is still in preparation.