Events, calls, local stickers and a more capable dashboard
Native events and RSVPs, a licensed audio calling preview, local sticker rendering, typed media and live session refresh arrive together.
Developers and operators
OpenWA 5.5 adds native event workflows, a licensed audio calling preview and a local WebP renderer, alongside a refreshed dashboard and new media controls. For a current installation, use npm install @open-wa/wa-automate@5.5.1, which includes the follow-up fixes.
Events and scheduled call cards
Create, edit and cancel events, read paginated synced history, collect attendance and respond with going, not going or maybe. Two listeners observe event changes and decrypted RSVPs, and validated JSON serializers support persistence. Event times use seconds; RSVP timestamps use milliseconds. Scheduled call cards create a native call link with RSVP/calendar controls; a recipient Join control wasn't confirmed. Events walkthrough.
Licensed audio calling
The public calling API and Calls dashboard can attach files, URLs or streams, record received audio and control a call across dashboard pages. The implementation remains a licensed audio preview requiring its runtime patches; camera calls and provider adapters remain unfinished. Full calling walkthrough.
Local stickers
@open-wa/stickers and openwa-sticker render WebP locally without Sharp. The planner uses an existing browser when it can complete the entire job, otherwise it runs the entire job standalone. Resources load on demand and effects preserve order. The first slice has 62 recipes; full historical parity and background removal remain separate work. SDK sending requires the separately delivered private finalizer. Sticker rendering guide.
Media, polls and conversation controls
Typed attachment options expose view-once images/videos/voice notes, prepared circular MP4 notes, GIF-style MP4s and document presentation. Audio, contact and album helpers share the native send pipeline. Captions and quoted IDs belong in the options object. Poll voting, synced results and listeners accompany one-, seven- and thirty-day message pins. Advanced poll options need WhatsApp feature flags. Voluntary number requests rendered on phones, but share replies failed on the demonstrated devices. Media · Polls and pins · Number requests.
Refresh, dashboard and reliability
Refresh patches or apply a licence while the Node process and API host stay running. WhatsApp reloads, messages may be missed and interrupted actions aren't replayed. The dashboard adds refreshed tables, detail sheets and persistent call controls. Patch-backed sends, edits, reactions, group contacts and participant listeners are restored, with complete available ACK snapshots. Chrome, Chromium and experimental Lightpanda provision on demand; Lightpanda recovery, outbound delivery and full media parity remain unconfirmed. Session refresh · Dashboard · Messaging reliability.
Audio stickers and synthetic live-location playback remain research work and aren't release claims.