Export a chat and open it in Brightgist

WhatsApp can save any chat as a text file. Brightgist reads that file on your device and pulls out what matters.

On Android

1. Open the group in WhatsApp.
2. Tap ⋮ (More options) at the top right, then More, then Export chat.
3. Choose Without media. The file is small and your photos stay private.
4. In the share menu, pick Brightgist if you've added it (see below). Otherwise pick Save to device or Files, then open Brightgist and tap Choose chat export.

Add Brightgist to the Android share menu

Open Brightgist in Chrome, tap ⋮, then Add to Home screen or Install app. After that, Brightgist appears in the share menu when you export a chat, and the summary opens straight away.

On iPhone

1. Open the group in WhatsApp and tap the group name at the top.
2. Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
3. Choose Without Media.
4. Tap Save to Files and pick a folder.
5. Open Brightgist in Safari, tap Choose chat export, then Browse, and choose the .zip you saved. There's no need to unzip it.

On a computer

Send the export to yourself (email, Drive, or AirDrop), then drag the .txt or .zip onto the Brightgist page.

Reading the summary

• Coming up lists dates, events and payments that haven't happened yet, soonest first. Repeated reminders are merged into one line.
• Waiting on you lists questions that mention your name, plus requests sent to everyone. The first time, Brightgist asks Which one is you?; it remembers your answer on this device. Ones you've already replied to are tucked under Show … you've answered.
• Decided lists clear decisions, such as "final", "tay hua" or "cancelled", and proposals that several people agreed to.
• Period changes how far back Brightgist looks for decisions and questions. Upcoming dates are always included.
• Tap any line (or Show messages) to see the original messages around it. Use Copy summary (or Share on a phone) to paste it into WhatsApp or notes, and the calendar button to add a date.
• Group polls show up under Decided with the leading option and vote count.

If something goes wrong

"This file doesn't look like a WhatsApp chat export"

Make sure you chose the file WhatsApp created: a .txt on Android or a .zip on iPhone. A screenshot, PDF or copied text from somewhere else won't work.

A date is wrong or missing

Brightgist works dates out from when each message was sent, so "kal" in a message from Monday means Tuesday. If a message is unclear to a person, it's unclear to Brightgist too. Tap the item to check the original.

No questions for me

Check the name under You are (in the Waiting on you section) is yours. If people call you by a nickname, add it under People call you something else?

Nothing is coming up

The export only contains messages up to when you exported it. If it's a few weeks old, export the chat again.

The share menu doesn't show Brightgist

Sharing straight to Brightgist works on Android after adding it to your home screen from Chrome. Choose Without media, because exports with photos attached may not show Brightgist. On iPhone, save to Files instead.

Summarize a chat

Brightgist is independent and isn't affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta. WhatsApp's menus can change between versions; if a step looks different, look for Export chat in the chat's menu or info screen.