A native WhatsApp companion for Linux, built with Rust, GTK4 and libadwaita.
ZapTide links to your phone through whatsapp-rust. It uses a native desktop interface instead of a browser engine. Messages are stored locally in an encrypted archive.
- Chat, search and send text, replies, reactions, polls, voice notes, stickers and attachments. Older messages load from the archive or your phone.
- Photos sent together appear as one album in a single bubble, and files can be dropped anywhere in a conversation to attach them.
- The sticker picker shows your recently used stickers from your phone and stickers you sent or saved locally. Stickers received from other people stay in chats and do not appear in the picker automatically.
- Read and answer quick-reply buttons and single-select lists when a sender delivers them. Mentioned contacts show their saved names in messages and copied transcripts; unknown contacts can show their WhatsApp name on hover.
- Get desktop notifications, see typing and delivery status, and keep chat read state, mute settings and locks in sync with your phone.
- Use light, dark or custom themes. Navigate with keyboard shortcuts and use screen-reader labels; accessibility support is still incomplete.
Videos and documents open in your default desktop apps. Calls, status posts, communities and group administration are not supported. Newsletter channels are read-only. Messages with disappearing timers remain in the local archive after they expire on your phone.
Download a Flatpak bundle or AppImage for x86_64 or aarch64 from GitHub Releases.
With a Flathub remote configured, install the downloaded .flatpak bundle:
flatpak install --user ./zaptide-vX.Y.Z-x86_64.flatpakFor an ARM64 system, use the aarch64 bundle instead.
Save the downloaded AppImage as zaptide.AppImage, make it executable and run it:
chmod +x ./zaptide.AppImage
./zaptide.AppImageOn first launch, use WhatsApp's Linked devices menu to scan the QR code or link with your phone number. Recent history may take a few minutes to arrive.
The message archive is encrypted with a key held by your OS keyring. Keep both
the archive and the keyring credential when backing up or moving a profile:
archive.db alone cannot be decrypted. If the keyring is locked, unlock it and
retry. If the key is missing, restore the original credential store rather
than replacing the key or deleting the archive.
Device credentials, downloaded files, saved stickers and settings are not encrypted by ZapTide. Use full-disk encryption if you need to protect those files and backups. ZapTide keeps its data separate from ZapFast, FastsApp and FastWhatsApp; link it as a separate companion device.
See PACKAGING.md for build dependencies and Flatpak packaging, and AGENTS.md for architecture and contribution rules. ZapTide is a ZapFast fork with a native GTK interface.
ZapTide is unofficial and is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta. Using an unofficial client may violate WhatsApp's terms and put your account at risk.
Licensed under MIT.