What gets scanned, what gets written, and how.
How does LeadSync save WhatsApp numbers automatically?#
It reads the phone numbers WhatsApp Web has already rendered on screen — in your chat list, or in an opened group's member list — then checks each against your connected Google Contacts and creates the ones that aren't there yet, using the Google People API.
What exactly does it scan?#
Two surfaces: the WhatsApp Web chat list, and the member list of a group you have opened. It reads only what WhatsApp Web visibly displays. It does not open chats, search, or reach into anything you haven't loaded.
Does it read my WhatsApp messages?#
No. It reads phone numbers only. Message contents, media, voice notes and status updates are never accessed, and there is no code path that touches them.
Does it send WhatsApp messages on my behalf?#
No, never. It is strictly read-only on WhatsApp Web. It cannot send messages, reply, forward, or broadcast, and no version will add that.
How many contacts can it save in one run?#
Paid plans have no LeadSync contact-count limit. Version 1.3.0 creates Google Contacts in batches of up to 200, and a single scan has an 8-minute safety limit — for very large lists, run several scans, since duplicate detection means the second pass skips everything already saved.
Can it save 1,000 WhatsApp contacts?#
In principle yes on a paid plan, by running repeated scans, since there is no contact-count quota. To be straight with you: a controlled end-to-end 1,000-contact benchmark is still pending, so we don't publish that as a verified figure. Guidance for large lists is at /blog/bulk-save-whatsapp-contacts.
How fast is a scan?#
It depends on how many numbers are visible and how quickly WhatsApp Web renders them as you scroll. A typical chat list of a few dozen takes seconds. Contact creation is batched in groups of up to 200 to stay within Google's API limits.
Does it work while I'm not at my computer?#
No. A scan runs only while WhatsApp Web is open and focused in your browser. There is no background or scheduled scanning, and nothing runs on a server on your behalf.
Can it automatically save every new chat as it arrives?#
No. Saving is something you trigger with Scan & Save. There is no always-on listener that watches for new chats — that would need persistent background access to WhatsApp Web, which is not how the extension is built.
What happens if I run a scan twice?#
The second run saves nothing new. Every number is checked against your Google Contacts first, so anything already saved is skipped. Re-scanning is safe and is the normal way to pick up chats that arrived since last time.
Does it save the contact's name or just the number?#
It saves the number with a name you control — a custom prefix plus an auto-incrementing sequence, for example "Lead 001", "Lead 002". WhatsApp Web does not reliably expose a real name for unsaved numbers, so inventing one would be wrong.
Can it save profile pictures or other details?#
No. It saves the phone number and the name it generates. Profile photos, about text, status and last-seen are not read or stored.
Does scanning change anything in WhatsApp?#
No. Nothing is written to WhatsApp, no chat is marked read, no message is sent, and nothing about your account changes. Reading rendered page content is all that happens on the WhatsApp side.
Can I choose which numbers to save?#
The scan reads the visible list and saves the new numbers it finds. To control scope, control what's visible — scan a specific opened group's member list rather than your whole chat list, for instance.
Does it work if my chat list is very long?#
Yes, but WhatsApp Web only renders what it has loaded, so scroll through the portion you want included before scanning. Numbers that were never rendered cannot be read.
What is the 8-minute scan limit?#
A safety cap on how long a single scan runs, so a stalled page can't leave a scan looping indefinitely. If you hit it, run another scan — duplicate detection means you resume rather than restart.