How Chatcove's local iPhone backup works
WhatsApp keeps its message database out of an unencrypted iPhone backup, so Chatcove makes an encrypted backup over USB, stores it on your Mac and reads WhatsApp from it. The backup never leaves your Mac.
Why an encrypted backup is needed
Section titled "Why an encrypted backup is needed"Your WhatsApp history lives inside the WhatsApp app on the iPhone. Chatcove gets at it through the iPhone backup, and the backup only includes WhatsApp's message database when the backup is encrypted. That is why Chatcove turns on backup encryption for you if it is off, and sets a strong password. See What is the iPhone backup password?.
The steps, in order:
- Chatcove checks the iPhone trusts the Mac.
- It makes sure backup encryption is on and the password works.
- It backs up the iPhone to a folder on your Mac. This is the part that needs your iPhone, your passcode, and a cable.
- It unlocks the backup with the password and reads the small WhatsApp databases (messages, contacts, call history). This happens on the Mac, and the iPhone is not needed.
- When you export with media, it decrypts only the media files for the chats you are exporting, on demand, not the whole backup.
First backup vs later backups
Section titled "First backup vs later backups"Chatcove backs up into the same folder on your Mac each time. The first backup copies everything, so it can take a long time: the app's own wait message says 10 to 60 minutes, depending on how much is on the iPhone. Later backups usually transfer only what changed, so they are much faster. Chatcove still asks the iPhone for a full backup (it runs idevicebackup2 backup --full), and the iPhone decides what to send.
When a backup of this iPhone already exists on your Mac, Chatcove tells you when it was made and gives you two choices, on the main card and in the step-by-step backup card:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Use existing backup | Skips the iPhone entirely and reads your WhatsApp history straight from the backup already on the Mac. Fast, but it only contains messages up to the time of that backup. |
| Back up again | Backs up the iPhone again to capture your newest messages. This is a new backup into the same folder and usually transfers only what changed, so it is much faster than the first one. Keep the iPhone unlocked and plugged in until it finishes. |
If a backup is interrupted (the cable comes out, the iPhone locks, or you click Cancel), plug in, unlock the iPhone and back up again. Nothing on the iPhone is changed by a stopped backup.
Where the backup lives
Section titled "Where the backup lives"By default: ~/Library/Application Support/Chatcove/backups/<iPhone UDID>/. A completed backup is recognised by its Manifest.plist file, and the "last backed up" date shown in the app is that file's modification time.
You can move backups to another folder or an external drive in Settings > Storage > Backup location > Change. See Install Chatcove.
Chatcove also keeps a decrypted workspace for each iPhone (the WhatsApp databases, the search index, and a media cache) under ~/Library/Application Support/Chatcove/<iPhone UDID>/. Settings > Storage shows the size of each and lets you delete them, or Delete everything for this iPhone.
How big is it
Section titled "How big is it"A full iPhone backup can be tens of gigabytes, because it includes your camera roll and app data. Before it starts, Chatcove asks the iPhone how much data it holds and compares that, plus a 10 percent margin, with the free space on the Mac. If there is not enough room it warns you and offers Choose another disk. See Requirements.
A text-only export does not need the media, so it is much smaller than the backup.
Backups screen
Section titled "Backups screen"The Backups section lists every iPhone backup stored on your Mac. You can browse and export them later without the iPhone connected.
It stays on your Mac
Section titled "It stays on your Mac"The backup, the decrypted data and your exports are never uploaded. See Privacy.