Bug: Some WhatsApp groups return empty / incomplete metadata via Groups API (persistent issue) #1765
Description
Describe the bug:
When retrieving WhatsApp groups using the WAHA API, a subset of groups consistently returns incomplete or empty metadata (missing subject, creation, owner info, etc.), even though these groups are active and sending messages.
- This causes serious issues when handling incoming webhook messages, as the group cannot be reliably identified beyond its group ID.
- The issue is persistent, affects multiple sessions and phone numbers, and reappears even after refresh or temporary workarounds.
Version
{
"version": "2025.12.2",
"engine": "GOWS / NOWEB",
"tier": "PLUS"
}
Observed consistently from 2025.8.2 up to 2025.12.2 Plus, on both engines.
Environment
Multiple WhatsApp phone numbers
Multiple WAHA sessions
Paid PRO Plus
Engines tested: GOWS and NOWEB
Steps to Reproduce
Start a WAHA session.
Call:
GET /api/{session}/groups
The total number of groups is returned correctly (e.g. ~145 groups).
~20 groups return partial / empty data, for example:
"120363147402818354@g.us": {
"id": "120363147402818354@g.us",
"addressingMode": "pn",
"subjectTime": null,
"size": 814,
"creation": null,
"restrict": false,
"announce": false,
"isCommunity": false,
"isCommunityAnnounce": false,
"joinApprovalMode": false,
"memberAddMode": false
}
A correctly returned group looks like this:
"120363403572474616@g.us": {
"id": "120363403572474616@g.us",
"addressingMode": "lid",
"subject": "🟠️Family Group🟠",
"subjectOwner": "78714044337113@lid",
"subjectOwnerPn": "962500000000@s.whatsapp.net",
"subjectTime": 1755905565,
"size": 16,
"creation": 1755905565,
"owner": "78714044337113@lid",
"ownerPn": "962500000000@s.whatsapp.net",
"owner_country_code": "SA",
"restrict": true,
"announce": true,
"isCommunity": false,
"isCommunityAnnounce": false,
"joinApprovalMode": false,
"memberAddMode": true,
"ephemeralDuration": 0
}
When a message arrives from a problematic group via webhook, only the group ID is available.
Fetching the group directly:
GET /api/{session}/groups/{id}
still returns incomplete data:
{
"id": "120363170624303079@g.us",
"addressingMode": "pn",
"subjectTime": null,
"size": 899,
"creation": null,
"restrict": false,
"announce": false,
"isCommunity": false,
"isCommunityAnnounce": false,
"joinApprovalMode": false,
"memberAddMode": false
}
Attempted Workarounds
1. Refresh Groups
Tried forcing a refresh using:
POST /api/{session}/groups/refresh
Response:
{
"success": true
}
❌ Result: No change. The same groups still return empty / incomplete metadata.
2. Remove & Re-add Bot to Group
- Temporarily fixes the issue for 2–3 days
- The problem always returns
- Sometimes affects the same group
- Sometimes affects different groups
This is not a viable long-term solution.
Expected Behavior
All groups returned by:
GET /api/{session}/groups
GET /api/{session}/groups/{id}
should always return complete and consistent metadata, especially for:
Active groups
Groups sending messages via webhook
At minimum:
- subject
- creation
- subjectTime
- owner / ownerPn
- Actual Behavior
A subset of groups returns incomplete metadata indefinitely
Group refresh reports success but does nothing
Issue occurs across:
- Multiple sessions
- Multiple phone numbers
- Both engines (GOWS / NOWEB)
- Breaks webhook-based automation and group identification
- Additional Notes / Suspicions
This looks like:
Group metadata desynchronization
Or internal cache/state corruption that never fully refreshes
Additional Observation
In groups affected by this issue (groups with incomplete metadata), administrative actions are also impacted.
Specifically, attempting to delete a message sent by another group member fails only in these problematic groups.
The same delete operation works correctly in groups where full metadata is returned.
This suggests that the issue is not limited to missing group metadata, but also affects group permissions / state synchronization for those groups.
Questions
-
Is this a known issue with WAHA + WhatsApp MD?
-
Is there a way to force a full group metadata re-sync (beyond /groups/refresh)?
-
Is there an internal cache that can be reset per session?
-
Is this related to large groups or WhatsApp-side limitations?
-
A permanent fix is required — current workarounds are not reliable.
