Glossary
JID (Jabber ID, WhatsApp identifier)
A JID is an XMPP-style address, user@domain, that WhatsApp uses to identify contacts, groups and broadcast lists in its databases and protocol traffic.
Definition
JID stands for Jabber ID, the address format of the XMPP protocol: localpart@domain/resource. WhatsApp's protocol descends from XMPP and kept the format, so every chat partner, group and broadcast list is identified by a JID.
WhatsApp JID types
12025550143@s.whatsapp.net individual user (phone number in E.164, no "+")
12025550143-1706782500@g.us legacy group (creator number and creation time)
120363012345678901@g.us group (newer numeric form)
status@broadcast Status updates
1706782500@broadcast broadcast list
123456789012345@lid linked identity, hides the phone number
Where you meet it
On Android, msgstore.db stores JIDs in a jid table (raw_string), referenced from chats and messages by row ID; older schemas keep key_remote_jid directly in messages. Contact names live in wa.db (wa_contacts.jid). On iOS, ChatStorage.sqlite uses fields such as ZCONTACTJID and ZFROMJID.
Forensic value
The local part of a user JID is the phone number, which is the pivot for correlating WhatsApp with SMS, Signal, Telegram and call records. Legacy group JIDs also embed the creator's number and a Unix creation time.
Pitfalls
Display names come from the device's address book or push names and can differ between devices. @lid identifiers do not reveal the number; resolve them through the database's mapping tables where available.