I’m working on a backup application and need to implement a feature that saves Gmail chat history. When I try to connect to Gmail using IMAP protocol, the chat messages don’t show up in the mailbox data I receive. I can see emails just fine, but the chat conversations seem to be stored separately or handled differently by Google’s servers. Has anyone figured out a way to programmatically download chat logs from Gmail accounts? I’ve been searching for alternative approaches but haven’t found a reliable solution yet. Any suggestions would be really helpful.
Google transitioned from Gmail’s chat feature to Hangouts in 2017, followed by a move to Google Chat, making old chat messages inaccessible through the Gmail API or IMAP. For newer conversations, you will need to use the Google Chat API, but this is limited to workspace accounts only, excluding regular Gmail users. Unfortunately, if you’re attempting to retrieve historical data from before this transition, it may be permanently lost or archived beyond your access. I encountered similar challenges while developing a backup tool and found no viable way to retrieve chat histories through standard Gmail methods.
for sure, takeout’s the way to go! but i get it, it can be a hassle. and yeah, the workspace thing is a bummer. if you just have a regular account, you’re pretty much stuck with manual downloads. it sucks for backup apps!
No direct API for Gmail chat conversations anymore. Hit this same wall building a backup tool last year. Chat data lives in a completely separate system from regular Gmail messages - that’s why IMAP misses it. Google Takeout’s your best option for historical data. It includes chat archives, but you’ll have to parse the exported files yourself (usually JSON or MBOX). Found one workaround using Google Workspace Admin SDK if you’ve got a business account, but you need admin privileges and it only grabs newer Chat conversations - not the old Gmail chat stuff. For personal accounts? There’s no programmatic solution. Spent months testing different approaches and came up empty.
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