capacitor-wa-autoreply

How it works

This plugin uses Android's NotificationListenerService to capture WhatsApp notifications and RemoteInput to reply directly through the notification — the same mechanism used by Android Auto and smartwatches. WhatsApp doesn't know your app exists.

WhatsApp notification arrives
       ↓
NotificationListenerService captures contact + message
       ↓
Your app processes the message (AI, rules, etc.)
       ↓
RemoteInput replies through the notification
       ↓
Message appears in WhatsApp as if the user typed it

Features

• 📩 Read incoming WhatsApp messages — contact name, message text, timestamp
• ✉️ Auto-reply via RemoteInput — replies appear as normal messages in WhatsApp
• 👤 Capture own messages — detect when the user sends messages manually
• 🔄 Built-in debounce — groups multiple rapid messages from the same contact
• 🛡️ Anti-loop protection — 20-second cooldown prevents reply loops
• 🔇 Duplicate filter — ignores duplicate notifications from WhatsApp
• 📱 Background operation — works with screen off, app closed
• 📇 Read contacts — access phone book for contact mapping
• ⏸️ Pause/Resume — toggle auto-reply on/off from your app

Platform Support

| Platform | Supported | |----------|-----------| | Android | ✅ | | iOS | ❌ (not possible due to Apple restrictions) | | Web | ❌ |

Installation

npm install capacitor-wa-autoreply
npx cap sync

Setup

1. Register the plugin in your MainActivity.java

import com.alteri.wareply.WAAutoReplyPlugin;

public class MainActivity extends BridgeActivity {
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        registerPlugin(WAAutoReplyPlugin.class);
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
    }
}

2. Add the service to your AndroidManifest.xml

Inside <application>:

<service
    android:name="com.alteri.wareply.WANotificationService"
    android:label="WhatsApp Auto-Reply"
    android:permission="android.permission.BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE"
    android:exported="true">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.service.notification.NotificationListenerService" />
    </intent-filter>
</service>

3. Add permissions (optional, for contacts)

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_CONTACTS" />

4. Grant notification access

The user must manually enable "Notification Access" for your app in Android Settings. You can open this screen programmatically:

import { WAAutoReply } from 'capacitor-wa-autoreply';

const { granted } = await WAAutoReply.checkPermission();
if (!granted) {
  await WAAutoReply.requestPermission(); // Opens Android settings
}

Usage

Listen for incoming messages

import { WAAutoReply } from 'capacitor-wa-autoreply';

WAAutoReply.addListener('whatsappMessage', (data) => {
  console.log(`${data.contact}: ${data.message}`);
  // Process with your AI, rules engine, etc.
});

Reply to a message

await WAAutoReply.reply({
  contact: 'John',    // Must match the notification title
  message: 'Got it!'  // Your reply
});

Listen for debounced messages

When a contact sends multiple messages quickly, they're grouped:

WAAutoReply.addListener('debouncedMessage', (data) => {
  console.log(`${data.contact} sent ${data.count} messages: ${data.message}`);
  // All messages joined with spaces
});

Capture own messages

Detect when the user sends messages manually (useful for learning their writing style):

WAAutoReply.addListener('ownMessage', (data) => {
  console.log(`User sent to ${data.contact}: ${data.message}`);
});

Pause/Resume

await WAAutoReply.setPaused({ paused: true });  // Stop auto-replying
await WAAutoReply.setPaused({ paused: false }); // Resume

Read phone contacts

const { contactos, total } = await WAAutoReply.getContacts();
// contactos = { "John Doe": "1234567890", ... }

API Reference

| Method | Description | |--------|-------------| | checkPermission() | Check if notification access is granted | | requestPermission() | Open Android notification settings | | reply({ contact, message }) | Reply to a WhatsApp contact | | getContacts() | Read device contact list | | saveConfig({ token, userId, server }) | Store config in SharedPreferences | | setPaused({ paused }) | Pause or resume auto-reply |

| Event | Description | |-------|-------------| | whatsappMessage | Incoming message from a contact | | ownMessage | Message sent by the device owner | | debouncedMessage | Grouped messages after 4s debounce |

How is this different from WhatsApp Business API?

| | This plugin | WhatsApp Business API | |---|---|---| | Cost | Free | $0.005-0.08 per message | | Setup | Install plugin, grant permission | Apply to Meta, get approved | | Rate limits | None | 1000 messages/day initially | | Risk of ban | Minimal (uses Android APIs) | None (official) | | Works with personal WA | ✅ | ❌ (business accounts only) | | Requires server | No | Yes |

Important Notes

• Android only — iOS does not allow reading other apps' notifications
• Notification access required — users must manually grant this permission
• Anti-abuse — built-in cooldowns and duplicate filters prevent spam
• Google Play compliance — apps using NotificationListenerService must justify the permission in Play Store submission
• This plugin does NOT access WhatsApp's internal APIs — it only interacts with Android's notification system

Use Cases

• 🤖 AI-powered auto-responders
• 📊 Message analytics and logging
• 🏢 Customer service automation
• ⏰ Out-of-office replies
• 🧠 Writing style analysis
• 🔔 Custom notification handling

Credits

Built by the team behind Alteri — your AI-powered WhatsApp alter ego.

License

MIT