I’m trying to automate WhatsApp messaging using PythonAnywhere. My local setup works fine, but when I shift to the server, it fails. My plan is to:
Retrieve phone numbers from a Google Sheet,
Process the sheet data with gspread,
Use WhatsApp Web to send out messages in bulk.
The challenge is with step 3. On PythonAnywhere, a headless browser is required, yet WhatsApp Web demands a QR code scan to log in. Below is a streamlined code snippet that is currently not working:
chrome_options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
chrome_options.add_argument('--headless')
chrome_options.add_argument('--disable-gpu')
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=chrome_options)
driver.get('https://web.whatsapp.com/')
# This part causes an error
element = driver.find_element_by_xpath('//input[@title="Search input textbox"]')
element.send_keys(phone_number)
I’m getting a NoSuchElementException. Any ideas on how to overcome this issue? Perhaps there is another library or method that could help? Thanks for any suggestions!
hey mate, have u tried using the selenium-stealth package? it can help bypass detection in headless mode. also, might wanna look into using a virtual display like Xvfb. that way u can run a “headful” browser on a headless system. just remember to be careful with bulk messaging, whatsapp can be pretty strict bout that stuff
I’ve encountered similar challenges with WhatsApp Web automation. One approach that worked for me was using the ‘yowsup’ library. It’s a Python library that implements the WhatsApp protocol and doesn’t require a browser, sidestepping the QR code issue.
However, be aware that using unofficial APIs like yowsup can potentially violate WhatsApp’s terms of service. For a more compliant solution, consider WhatsApp’s official Business API. It’s designed for bulk messaging and integrates well with automation scripts.
If you must use WhatsApp Web, try saving the browser session after manually scanning the QR code once. This can often allow subsequent headless sessions without needing to re-authenticate. Just be cautious with bulk messaging to avoid account restrictions.
I’ve actually tackled a similar challenge before when trying to automate WhatsApp messaging for a small business. The key issue here is that WhatsApp Web intentionally makes it difficult to automate, especially in headless mode, to prevent spam and abuse.
Instead of using Selenium, I’d recommend looking into the ‘whatsapp-web.js’ library. It’s a Node.js library, but it’s specifically designed for WhatsApp Web automation and handles a lot of the tricky parts for you.
For the QR code issue, you could generate the QR code once, scan it manually, and then save the session for future use. This way, you won’t need to scan the QR code every time.
Remember though, bulk messaging on WhatsApp can get your number banned if not done carefully. Make sure you’re following WhatsApp’s terms of service and consider using their official Business API for large-scale messaging if possible.