Charly's Column – Outsmarting WhatsApp
Berry Service

Sys admin Charly likes to keep up with the state of his domestic strawberry plants, so he has outsmarted WhatsApp to allow status messages to be sent through the service from a PC or Raspberry Pi.
When it comes to domestic events, I use WhatsApp to keep on top: A motion detector in the bird and hedgehog house, the status of the garden irrigation system, doorbell, water level in the aquarium, and much more. The tool that sends me the message is Yowsup [1], and it's easy to install:
wget https://github.com/tgalal/yowsup/archive/master.zip unzip master.zip cd yowsup-master/ ./setup.py install
Yowsup makes the WhatsApp API believe it is running on cellphone. You need a SIM card that is not yet registered with WhatsApp for the login process. I used a free prepaid card for that purpose. "Free" here means that there is no monthly base charge or contract but only pay-per-call. Some mobile service providers have such SIM cards on offer.
I opted for a provider, put the SIM card in the phone, and activated the card; you need to determine the MCC/MNC pairing, which you can find online [2]: The mobile country code for Germany is 262, the mobile network code for my network provider, Vodafone, is 2. Nothing to stop me registering now:
yowsup-cli registration -d -E android -m 262 -n 2 -p 491521234567 -C 49 -r sms
After a few seconds, you get a text message with a registration code, say, 528-142. You need this now:
yowsup-cli registration -d -E android -p 491521234567 -C 49 -R 528-142
The output contains my login credentials in the style of Listing 1. The username is my telephone number including the country code, and the password appears in line 3. Now I can put the SIM card in a back drawer. From now on, I can send WhatsApp messages on my PC.
Listing 1
yowsup-cli Registration
./yowsup-cli demos -l "491521234567:VQOHbVldOAjd+5GKIrHVWRNZkV0=" -s 491721234567 "Howdy, Post"
and receive them on my mobile phone (Figure 1). I have to go – my message just reached me: Strawberry harvest!
Infos
- Yowsup: https://github.com/tgalal/yowsup
- List of MCCs and MNCs by country: http://mcclist.com/mobile-network-codes-country-codes.asp IE:
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Fedora 39 Beta is Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.
-
Star Labs Reveals a New Surface-Like Linux Tablet
If you've ever wanted a tablet that rivals the MS Surface, you're in luck as Star Labs has created such a device.
-
SUSE Going Private (Again)
The company behind SUSE Linux Enterprise, Rancher, and NeuVector recently announced that Marcel LUX III SARL (Marcel), its majority shareholder, intends to delist it from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by way of a merger.