How to use WhatsApp messages in a small claim
Treat the messages as documents you rely on. Export the chat, pick the messages about the agreement, the payments and what went wrong, and put them in date order with page numbers. Send copies to the court and the other side by the date in your directions. Under the standard directions, that’s at least 14 days before the hearing.
What the court rules say
- When a claim goes to the small claims track, the court gives standard directions, or special directions that add to or replace them. Follow the ones you receive.
- Under the standard directions, each side sends copies of all the documents it will rely on to the court and to every other side, at least 14 days before the final hearing.
- The standard directions also say the original documents must be brought to the hearing, and that not following the directions may mean the case is adjourned and the side at fault pays costs.
- Small claims hearings are informal, and the strict rules of evidence don’t apply.
- You may not need a hearing at all if the other side agrees to pay, or if you reach an agreement through mediation. The court may arrange free mediation, depending on the amount you’re claiming.
How to do it yourself, free
- Export the chat from your phone and choose Without media. See how to export a chat. A computer may not hold the whole chat, so use the phone if you can.
- Keep the export file exactly as it is, and keep the chat on your phone. Do any cutting down in a copy.
- Pick the messages about what was agreed, prices and amounts, dates, payments, what was or wasn’t delivered, and any attempts to sort it out. Include the messages either side when they’re needed to make sense of one.
- Put them in date order, exactly as sent, with the date, time and sender. Add no comments.
- Add page numbers and a short index. Save it as a PDF, or print it.
- Send copies to the court and to every other side by the date in your directions.
- In any statement, and when you speak at the hearing, point to messages by page: “The defendant agreed the price on 12 May 2026 (page 3).”
- Take your copy to the hearing. Keep the chat on your phone and the export file, in case anyone asks to see the original.
Or let ChatBundle do it
ChatBundle does the picking and the layout for you. Load your WhatsApp export: it’s read on your device. Check for free that your chat was read correctly, with a sample page of your own messages, before you pay. One bundle is £19, for one chat and one issue.
- After you pay, AI picks the messages that relate to the issue you describe. You untick any, or search the chat and add more.
- Message text is never changed. Each message shows its date, time and sender.
- The PDF has a cover, an index, page numbers and a short, neutral summary with page references.
- The cover shows a fingerprint of your export file, so the bundle can be matched to the original later.
What it doesn’t do: it only reads WhatsApp chat exports, not SMS, iMessage or screenshots, and it leaves out photos and voice notes. It doesn’t give legal advice, tell you whether messages can be used, or send anything to a court, tribunal or scheme.
Not legal or HR advice. This guide sums up what official guidance says. It isn’t advice on your case. Rules change, so check the current rules and any orders in your own case before you rely on them.
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