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Chatcove 0.2.0-beta.2

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@ncamaa ncamaa released this 13 Oct 16:07
v0.2.0-beta.2
902d030

Chatcove for Windows, beta 2. An early test build of Chatcove for Windows: back up your iPhone, read your WhatsApp chats and export them, all on your own PC. 64-bit (x64), Windows 10 (version 22H2) or Windows 11.

This is a prerelease for testers. It is not the current version for Mac users.

What changed since beta 1

  • After you enter the passcode, Chatcove now shows a calm "preparing" screen while the iPhone gets ready, instead of a stuck "Action needed" banner.
  • Backup progress now shows live on Windows, as it happens.
  • No more duplicate passcode prompts.
  • Before the backup, Chatcove checks for the Apple driver, a pending Windows restart and the Apple Devices app being open, and walks you through each fix step by step.
  • Clearer wait screens everywhere: each one says what is happening, about how long it takes, and that there is nothing you need to do.
  • You can send a problem report while a backup is running, and the report includes that backup.

What you need

  • A Windows 10 (22H2) or Windows 11 PC, 64-bit.
  • The free Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store (iTunes also works). Chatcove tells you if it is missing and shows a button to get it.
  • An iPhone with WhatsApp, its USB cable, and your iPhone passcode.
  • Free disk space at least the size of the iPhone's backup (a 128 GB phone that is half full needs about 60 GB).

Install (unsigned beta)

This beta is not code-signed yet, so Windows will warn you. That is expected. If you have beta 1, install this one over it; your backup and settings stay.

  1. Download chatcove-0.2.0-beta.2-x64-setup.exe below.
  2. Double-click it. If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
  3. Let Windows Defender finish its scan, then follow the installer. It installs just for you, no administrator rights needed.

First run

  1. Start Chatcove. If Apple Devices is missing, or Windows needs a restart, follow the on-screen steps, then click Check again.
  2. Plug in the iPhone and unlock it. Tap Trust on the phone and enter the passcode. Chatcove should show the iPhone within a few seconds.
  3. Backup password: Chatcove makes the backup encrypted (WhatsApp is only included in encrypted backups). It sets a password for you and remembers it, or asks for the one your phone already has. Write down any password you choose. If you forgot an existing one, tell us instead of resetting it.
  4. Start the backup and keep the phone unlocked and plugged in. Enter the passcode on the phone when asked.

What to test

  1. The phone is detected and the Trust prompt works.
  2. After the passcode, the "preparing" screen appears and the backup then runs with a moving progress bar and finishes.
  3. Decrypt runs and your chats list appears. Open a chat and scroll; photos, videos and voice notes should show.
  4. Export one chat to HTML, PDF and TXT, and use Show in File Explorer after each.
  5. Select two or more chats and export them together. You should get one folder per chat.
  6. Close and reopen Chatcove. It should offer to use the existing backup.
  7. Send a problem report while a backup is running.

Known issues

  • The installer is unsigned, so SmartScreen warns on it (see Install above).
  • Auto-update is off for unsigned betas. Install this beta over beta 1 by hand, and later betas the same way.
  • The first backup on a new computer can take several minutes to start after you enter the passcode. That is normal: the iPhone is preparing. Keep it unlocked and plugged in.
  • If the phone is unplugged in the middle of a backup, the Device screen does not yet say that a backup was interrupted.
  • Locking the phone or unplugging the cable in the middle of a backup is not fully tested on Windows yet.
  • The first backup of a large phone can take well over an hour.

How to report

  • Tell us your Windows version (Settings > System > About), whether you used Apple Devices or iTunes, which steps passed or failed, and what SmartScreen showed you.
  • For any problem, use Report a problem in the app (Settings > Help and support). It is opt-in: it shows you exactly what would be sent, nothing leaves your PC until you choose to send it, and it contains technical details only, never messages, contacts or media.

Everything else stays on your PC: the backup, the decrypted chats and your exports are never uploaded.

libimobiledevice-1.4.0-chatcove-source.tar.gz is the complete source of the modified libimobiledevice (LGPL-2.1-or-later) that ships with Chatcove.

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