DeletedUser88 Yes I tried on an old Samsung phone with default Android, I am able to add my new phone number without the error. I did contact WhatsApp support, I'll post their reply here, essentially they are telling me that "Custom ROMs" are not supported.
WhatsApp "You need the official WhatsApp to log in".
So an update. I contacted WhatsApp support and they finally got back to me. Essentially I explained my issue but also mentioned I was using GrapheneOS on a Pixel 6 Pro. Their reply included "Custom ROMs...aren't supported":
Your attempt to register your phone number failed because you appear to be using an unofficial version of the WhatsApp app. We don’t support unofficial apps because they put your privacy and security at risk. They also put your data and device at the risk of malware.
Custom ROMs and rooted phones also aren't supported by WhatsApp, learn more in this article.
What to do next
- Save your chat history.
- Uninstall the unofficial app.
- Download WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app from official app stores or our website.
- Register your phone number.
If you see an error that the app isn’t available in your country, visit this page to download WhatsApp.
Need more help?
- Try registering on a different phone.
- Upgrade the operating system on your phone.
- Troubleshoot why you can’t download or update WhatsApp.
emilycestmoi Yes I tried on an old Samsung phone with default Android, I am able to add my new phone number without the error
that is very strange.
Does it still fail if you try on GrapheneOS again after you initially successfully logged in? I would also try a re-install from the Play Store, perhaps on a different profile? You could try the official WhatsApp APK too.
DeletedUser88 Yes, I've tried this already. Working on my old Samsung with default Samsung Android. I try to add the same number to my GrapheneOS WhatsApp install, error. I just did another fresh install directly from the Play store, same error. Maybe WhatsApp is just starting to roll this out? Going to try to get everyone to use Signal for now, so far the only way around it I've seen is to root and spoof the phone. Maybe spoofing is something GrapheneOS will have to add in the future?
emilycestmoi Maybe WhatsApp is just starting to roll this out?
This would be incredibly unfortunate.
emilycestmoi Going to try to get everyone to use Signal for now,
Good plan.
emilycestmoi Maybe spoofing is something GrapheneOS will have to add in the future?
GrapheneOS has stated they will not be spoofing Play Integrity API. They are taking a more concrete and long-term approach of talking to regulators in the EU to get Play Integrity banned.
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emilycestmoi Maybe spoofing is something GrapheneOS will have to add in the future?
A key problem is that spoofing works only on the old-fashioned checks that Google is phasing out, not on the strong checks that banks are starting to use.
Yes, it would be harmful if WhatsApp bans GrapheneOS. But personally – unless several more people are able to reproduce this eventually – it's not clear to me that this problem is due to an OS integrity check. The fact that a WhatsApp customer support representative – and their documentation – says that "custom ROMs" are not "supported", I think is equally likely to mean that WhatsApp simply does not provide customer/user support for people running aftermarket operating systems. It makes sense then that the CSR is following internal instructions and dismissing OP's support request.
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I did it the other way around: I banned WhatsApp. It's one of the apps I strictly avoid because of data misuse.
I installed GrapheneOS for additional security. Isn't it absurd to continue running the very apps on GrapheneOS that are the worst data octopuses?
With using GOS comes the task to find alternatives to all those apps.
Dan-cer Agree, but I am not able to convince the school/teachers to switch to signal. The alternative they offer as parent-teacher communication is facebook messenger. Ehh.
emilycestmoi I'd download some older whatsapp apk and try that.. I am not encouraging you to do that because you have to download it from "somewhere". I had to do it about a year ago, there was a buggy whatsapp release that was causing extreme battery drain on my cellphone.
Pixel 9 Pro
Set up a clean test user profile, installed sandboxed google play first in the app and gave it notification permissions.
Installed WhatsApp. It allowed the creation of an account without issue. The one thing I couldn't do was set up a Passkey. I did not try linking to an established account. This was a test with a disposable Sim card in another device. The test profile had no phone or SMS permissions.
Dan-cer could not agree more.
Dan-cer Isn't it absurd to continue running the very apps on GrapheneOS that are the worst data octopuses?
It is not absurd at all. It's your personal choice to avoid these types of app.
Other people can't live without mainstream apps like social media, WhatsApp and other highly invasive apps. It makes more sense to use these invasive apps on GrapheneOS rather than any other OS due to both the security and privacy advantages.
Obviously you will benefit from security hardening no matter what apps you use, but you will benefit more from the privacy features of the OS when you use invasive apps rather than apps that respect your privacy. As much has been said by the official GrapheneOS team so they share the same view.
andrej567 well, you have an documented excuse not to use it, don't you?
Unless the teacher shows you how to make it work.
Just don't tell her it's custom rom.
15 days later
Another user reported the same issue on Matrix. Suddenly logged out of WhatsApp account even though it was working properly before. WhatsApp was installed from the Play Store. Was not an issue with their number as logging in on a device that passes Play Integrity worked. Seems like WhatsApp is gradually rolling out Play Integrity checks. Very unfortunate.
DeletedUser88 Seems like WhatsApp is gradually rolling out Play Integrity checks. Very unfortunate.
Did they provide system logs so that this assumption can be ascertained? And does anyone here know how to determine the usage of the Play Integrity API by apps by looking at a system log?
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fid02 Did they provide system logs so that this assumption can be ascertained?
No. Although, I don't see any other reason there would be issues logging into WhatsApp on an OS that doesn't pass Play Integrity while there are no issues on an OS that does.
fid02 And does anyone here know how to determine the usage of the Play Integrity API by apps by looking at a system log?
GrapheneOS said they'll be adding a notification to inform users about this.
DeletedUser88 No but I don't see why else the user would have issues logging in on a device that doesn't pass Play Integrity but has no issues when logging in on a device that does.
Was the state of their device determined? Relevant information would include whether the bootloader was locked or unlocked, and whether OEM unlocking was enabled or disabled.
fid02 Bootloader locked, developer options and OEM unlocking disabled.