WhatsApp not opening after update Android

[Samitha_Dodangoda]

I create a app few yeras back can select customer & items from a google sheet then send message to a group throug whatsapp using WhatsApp Tool extention. the app was working successfully until my Samsung A06 last update security patch level 5 March 2026. I check the same app on another Samsung A06 phone (which have security patch level 1 January 2026) it still works fine. Please note that both phone’s Android version is 16. Please help me to sortout this issue

Thank You

Sam

[TIMAI2]

Could be: your device, whatsapp, the whatsapp extension, AppInventor or something else.

You will need to do some debugging & testing to find out which.

[Samitha_Dodangoda]

Hi Tim,

Thank you for your reply. since i’m not expert to AI2, could you help me how to debug function?

I can upload my .aia file if you need.

Thank you,

Sam

[TIMAI2]

I would start with the whatsapp extension.

Use the activityStarter to test connectivity with whatsapp. Does this work ?

How to send specific message to a specific number with Whatsapp and AI extension?

Yes You can Call Url with activity starter and call below link https://wa.me/whatsappphonenumber?text=urlencodedtext where "whatsappphonenumber" is a full phone number in international format and urlencodedtext is the URL-encoded pre-filled message. [21-04-2020-07-24-44] I use google sheets to call random data in place of URL

If this works, then setup a test project with the extension to check its functionality on the non performing device.

[Samitha_Dodangoda]

Hi Tim,

As per your example, yes I can send WhatsApp message to specific number using activityStarter. could you please tell me how to send a message to whats group which already created?

Thank You,

Sam

[TIMAI2]

Did you test the extension?

Sorry, don't know about groups.

[Samitha_Dodangoda]

Yes. I’ve tried extension. still not working

I ment WhatsApp group chat. I need to send message to a WhatsApp group when open WhatsApp by my app, select desired WhatsApp group & send

[TIMAI2]

I asked Brave for you:

WhatsApp Group Message URL

There is no public URL scheme (like wa.me) that allows users to send a direct message to a WhatsApp group from a browser or external app without first joining the group. WhatsApp’s official Click to Chat feature (https://wa.me/number?text=message) only supports 1:1 conversations with individual phone numbers.

To interact with a group via a link, you must use the Group Invite Link format:

• URL Format: https://chat.whatsapp.com/uniqueInviteCode
• Function: This link allows users to join the group. Once joined, they can send messages within the app. It does not pre-fill a message or open a chat window for an outsider.

Technical Alternatives for Developers

If you need to programmatically send messages to a group, you must use the WhatsApp Business API or third-party libraries, not a simple URL.

1. WhatsApp Business API:
   You can send messages to a group by making a POST request to the API endpoint, specifying the Group ID (not the invite link).

   {
       "recipient_type": "group",
       "to": "group-id@lid",
       "type": "text",
       "text": {
           "body": "Your message here"
       }
   }
   

2. Android Intents (App-to-App):
   You can use an Android Intent to open a specific group if you have its invite link, but this only opens the group window; it does not send a message automatically.

   Uri uri = Uri.parse("https://chat.whatsapp.com/uniqueId");
   Intent i = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, uri);
   startActivity(Intent.createChooser(i, ""));
   

3. Third-Party Tools:
   Services like Ultramsg or browser extensions like WA Group Sender can facilitate sending messages to groups by integrating with the WhatsApp Web interface or API, but these require specific setup and are not standard URL-based solutions.

Summary

• For Users: Share the https://chat.whatsapp.com/... link to let people join, then they can message you.
• For Developers: Use the WhatsApp Business API with the group’s unique ID to send messages programmatically.

[Samitha_Dodangoda]

Thank you Tim for your cooperation

With above example, now I can open specific WhatsApp group. but I can not add my custom message to it.

[TIMAI2]

@Samitha_Dodangoda

I can not add my custom message to it.

I believe this is the best you can hope for using the activityStarter. You could possibly use a clipboard extension to capture your custom message in the app, then paste this once whatsapp opens.

[Samitha_Dodangoda]

Hi Tim,

Thank you for your suggestion. I used TaifunSharing.aix. it’s working perfectly. (not opening WhatsApp directly. but can do what I want to do anyhow )

Thank you once again to spend time for me

Sam