Open listen to the audio of the conversation and/or view the received image

fabgonber

Member
Grant Account Access for Support
  1. I authorize the Pabbly Support Team to access my account for troubleshooting purposes.
  2. I don't authorize the Pabbly Support Team to access my account for troubleshooting purposes.
WhatsApp Number
56983226271
Email Address
[email protected]
Hi,

I received this payload via the webhook, and it includes an audio clip:
JSON:
{"status":"success","message":"A message has been successfully sent to the user.","data":{"name":"message_sent","source":"pabbly_chatflow","timestamp":"2026-06-10T22:00:09.026Z","event_data":{"messaging_product":"whatsapp","recipient_type":"individual","to":"569789XXXXX","biz_opaque_callback_data":"tPibCl9ZT0HWQUDh-aiAssistant","type":"text","text":{"preview_url":false,"body":"¡Sí! La hipnosis es efectiva para dejar de fumar. Por lo general, se recomiendan entre 3 a 5 sesiones para lograr resultados óptimos. Con hipnosis, neurociencia y regresiones, se puede ayudar en este proceso. ¿Te gustaría saber más detalles o reservar una sesión?"}},"error":null},"_recibido_en":"2026-06-10 18:00:09","_ip_origen":"157.180.30.156"}
{"status":"success","message":"A new message has been received from the user.","data":{"name":"message_received","source":"pabbly_chatflow","timestamp":"2026-06-10T22:00:24.662Z","event_data":{"from":"569789XXXXX","from_user_id":"CL.1491462355524693","id":"wamid.HBgLNTY5Nzg5ODczMjkVAgASGCBBQ0UxODQ4OEIxRTIwMTI2NEQ4OEJGREJEOTQxNjQxOQA=","timestamp":"1781128822","type":"audio","audio":{"mime_type":"audio/ogg; codecs=opus","sha256":"vYSM/FvzaQkiUsu9c1I4gwcNW5B71U2BzkQY/0PHFSs=","id":"2469498836863428","url":"https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/whatsapp_business/attachments/?mid=2469498836863428&source=webhook&ext=1781129123&hash=ARn_-jcD2nWXY20PgDzVnZxlduG0R3RbqOh70z8AqduINQ","voice":true}},"error":null},"_recibido_en":"2026-06-10 18:00:24","_ip_origen":"157.180.30.156"}
{"status":"success","message":"A message has been successfully sent to the user.","data":{"name":"message_sent","source":"pabbly_chatflow","timestamp":"2026-06-10T22:00:30.560Z","event_data":{"messaging_product":"whatsapp","recipient_type":"individual","to":"569789XXXXX","biz_opaque_callback_data":"tPibCl9ZT0HWQUDh-aiAssistant","type":"text","text":{"preview_url":true,"body":"Para reservar una sesión, puedes hacerlo directamente en la página web de Fabián X: https://www.agenda.mydomain.cl. Ahí encontrarás disponibilidad de horarios y podrás agendar tu cita de manera sencilla. ¿Hay algo más en lo que pueda asistirte?"}},"error":null},"_recibido_en":"2026-06-10 18:00:30","_ip_origen":"157.180.30.156"}

When I try to open the URL with the audio: https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/whatsap...Rn_-jcD2nWXY20PgDzVnZxlduG0R3RbqOh70z8AqduINQ

I get this error:

{"title":"Authentication Error","detail":"Authentication Error","status":401}

How do I listen to the audio? (or view its transcript)

I'd like to know the same for received images, videos, or documents
 

Preeti Paryani

Well-known member
Staff member
Hello @fabgonber,

This behavior is expected.

The media URL returned by WhatsApp (audio, image, video, or document) is a protected Meta URL and cannot be accessed directly through a browser. That's why you're receiving the following error:

{"title":"Authentication Error","detail":"Authentication Error","status":401}

To access the media file, you must make an authenticated API request using your WhatsApp Business Account access token in the Authorization header. The URL itself is not publicly accessible.

For audio messages:

  • You need to download the audio file using the media URL and a valid access token.
  • Once downloaded, you can play the audio or pass it to a transcription service such as OpenAI Whisper to obtain the transcript.
For images, videos, and documents:

  • The same process applies.
  • Use the media URL along with the required Authorization header to download the file first.
  • After downloading, you can view or process the file as needed.
If you are trying to automate this process through Pabbly Connect, please share more details about your use case and the workflow URL so we can suggest the best approach.
 
Top