AnyxKey takeaways
- Anyx only sees group messages from after it joined, so older conversations come in through a WhatsApp chat export.
- The import asks for the export's time zone and date format, so each message lands on the right day.
- Only text is imported. Photos, voice notes and files are left out.
- After the import, Generate notes for a date range creates a note for any past period, and it starts right away.
To summarize an old WhatsApp conversation with Anyx, export the group chat without media, upload the text file to the group’s History Import, choose the export’s time zone and date format, and confirm. Then use Generate notes for a date range to get a note for the period you need. Only text is imported.
Why doesn’t Anyx see the older messages?
Anyx joins a group as a member, and it only sees messages sent after it joined. That covers the notes it emails you from then on (how scheduled notes work). It does not cover a conversation that happened earlier: last month’s back and forth with a supplier, or a project that started before you connected the group.
For those, WhatsApp’s Export chat gives you a text copy of the group, and Anyx can import it into that group’s history. If you are still comparing ways to summarize a chat, see four ways to summarize a WhatsApp group chat.
How do you import an old WhatsApp chat into Anyx?
The import lives in the group’s settings on anyx.app: Settings, AI Brain, WhatsApp Groups, the group, then History Import. The docs cover it under Import older messages.
Export the chat from WhatsApp
Open the group, tap its name, then Export chat and Without media. On iPhone you get a .zip file: open it and use the _chat.txt file inside.
Upload the file
In the group's History Import, upload the .txt or .md file.
Choose the time zone and date format
Pick the time zone the export was made in (Israel Time, Eastern Time or UTC), then the date format: auto-detect, day/month or month/day.
Tell Anyx who "You" is
WhatsApp labels the person who made the export as "You". Pick that person's name, which is usually yours.
Review and confirm
Anyx shows how many messages it found and for which dates, then imports only the messages it does not already have. Duplicates are skipped.
Generate the note
Open Generate notes for a date range, pick a start and an end, and choose Generate.
On Android, the export sits under More options, More, Export chat (WhatsApp Help Center). Two settings in the import deserve a closer look: the time zone and the date format.
Why does the time zone matter?
A WhatsApp export writes a date and a time next to every message, but no time zone. The times are simply the clock of the phone that made the export. Anyx needs to know which zone that was to place each message at the right moment.
If you choose the wrong zone, every message moves by the difference. Between Israel and New York that is usually seven hours. A message sent at 22:00 in Tel Aviv, read as Eastern Time, lands at 05:00 the next day in Israel. Near the edges of your date range, that can push messages in or out of the note, or put a decision on the wrong day.
The rule is simple: choose the zone the export was made in, not the zone you are in today. The import offers Israel Time, Eastern Time and UTC.
Which date format should you pick?
Phones write dates in their regional format. A phone set up for Israel usually writes day/month, so 03/04/2026 is 3 April. A phone set up for the US usually writes month/day, so the same digits mean March 4.
Auto-detect is there for most files. A long export usually contains a date that can only be read one way, such as 25/03. A short export may not, so for short exports choose day/month or month/day yourself.
Before you confirm, check the message count and the dates Anyx shows. They should match the conversation you exported. If the dates look wrong, check the date format and the time zone.
One more check: tell Anyx who “You” is. WhatsApp labels the person who made the export as “You”, so Anyx needs a name for that person.
How do you choose the dates for the note?
After the import, open Generate notes for a date range. Pick a start and an end (the end cannot be later than now) and choose Generate. It starts right away and the page updates by itself.
- Match the range to the question. A month for a supplier relationship, the week before a meeting, a single day when something went wrong.
- Later messages count. Follow-ups are assessed as of the moment the note is created. If later messages show that something was done, Anyx takes them into account where it has them.
- Past deadlines are handled with care. When a deadline has passed and no message says the task was done, Anyx asks you to confirm whether it was completed, instead of declaring it unfinished.
Here is what a note on an imported month could look like, for a fictional bakery and its packaging supplier. The people and messages are invented:
Decisions
Switch to recycled cake boxes from the October order
Unanswered
Can the printed sleeves ship in one batch instead of two?
Action items
Confirm the October order quantity
Missing: No date was given in the chat
Forgotten / no follow-up
Send the new logo file for the sleeves
Why it matters: The deadline passed and no message says the file was sent.
Suggested next step: Confirm whether it was sent.
Reported resolved
The damaged box delivery was replaced
184 messages in this period. Based only on captured messages.
What is imported, and what is not?
The import is text only. In practice:
| In the export | Imported? |
|---|---|
| Text messages | Yes |
| Photos | No |
| Voice notes | No |
| Files | No |
| Messages Anyx already has | Skipped as duplicates |
So if a key decision was made in a voice note, or a price appeared only in a photo of a quote, the note will not include it. Messages Anyx captures in the group itself, after it joined, work differently: voice notes there are transcribed.
What are the limits?
- Text only. Photos, voice notes and files in the export are not imported.
- Three time zones. The import offers Israel Time, Eastern Time and UTC.
- Some chats can’t be exported. Members can’t export a group that has WhatsApp’s Advanced Chat Privacy or the newer Restricted chat setting turned on. Our privacy checklist explains both.
- The note reflects the export. Calls, meetings and other chats are not in it.
- Anyx stores what you upload. Chat exports you upload are stored to create the notes you ask for, and the file holds every member’s messages. Deletion is by request to support@anyx.app.
- It works inside a connected group. History Import sits in the settings of a group you connected to Anyx, and AI Notes need a paid plan. Plans start at $35 a month, and new subscribers get a 7-day free trial.
FAQ
Can Anyx summarize messages from before it joined a group?
Yes, if you import a WhatsApp chat export. Anyx only sees messages sent after it joined, so export the chat without media, upload it under History Import, then generate a note for the dates you need.
Why do I need to choose a time zone for the import?
The export gives each message a date and time but no time zone. Choosing the zone the export was made in (Israel Time, Eastern Time or UTC) keeps each message on the right day and inside the right date range.
Are photos and voice notes imported?
No. Only text is imported. Photos, voice notes and files are not, so anything said only in a recording or shown only in a photo is missing from the note.
What happens if I import the same chat twice?
Anyx shows how many messages it found and for which dates, then imports only the messages it does not already have. Duplicates are skipped.
Do I have to wait for the next scheduled note?
No. Generate notes for a date range starts right away, and the page updates by itself. You do not need to wait for the group’s regular schedule.