How To Transfer WhatsApp Data
Buying or upgrading to a new phone can be exciting, but one of the worst parts of making that transition is having to set up your new device. If you make use of an app like WhatsApp, transferring your saved data can be even more confusing. The messaging platform requires that you take certain steps to initiate a backup of your data to keep it protected before you transfer it to a new device.
There are currently two official ways you can transfer your chat backups, allowing you to keep your chat history no matter which device you move to or from. One of these methods only works when transferring from an iPhone to a Samsung handset or a smartphone running Android 12. No other device-specific transfer options are available at this time, meaning you’ll have to use theGoogle Drive methodif you’re not migrating from iOS to Android.
It’s important to note that regardless of the method you use, any data stored on your first device will remain on it unless you wipe its memory and delete WhatsApp entirely.
WhatsApp data transfer from an iPhone to a Samsung phone
If you’re transferring your chat history from an iPhone to a Samsung handset, the process is pretty simple, though you’ll need the following apps installed on your devices for it to work:
You’ll also need a USB-C to Lightning cable or an adapter that’ll allow your devices' cables to connect. Your new device will need to be operating with the same phone number (likely with the same SIM card) as the old device.
Your target Samsung phone will need to be in its factory new state or reset to factory settings before you can proceed, according to WhatsApp. This means you can’t use a hacked device, one with an unlocked bootloader, or anything of that nature — the average user never initiates these sorts of modifications, so you should be fine.
To transfer WhatsApp chat history from an iPhone to Samsung smartphone, follow these steps:
You’ll be able to access your chat data in the WhatsApp app after completing your phone’s activation.
WhatsApp data transfer from an iPhone to an Android phone
In October 2021,Google announcedthat it had worked with WhatsApp to bring direct chat history transfers from iOS to smartphones running Android 12. This support makes it possible to transfer your messaging history to just about any newer Android device, making the feature far more accessible to those outside of Samsung’s ecosystem.
The process is similar to the one used for transferring chat history from an iPhone to a Samsung smartphone:
The transfer process will take place automatically once started. Your chat history will be copied over from the iPhone to the new Android device — assuming, again, that it is running Android 12, as this process won’t work with older versions of the mobile operating system. Google notes that it’ll prevent new messages from being sent to your old iPhone while transferring content, so you shouldn’t miss out on anything important.
How to backup WhatsApp chat history using Google Drive
Another easy way to transfer WhatsApp data involves the Google Drive backup method, which backs up all of your information to your Google account. For this reason, you’ll need to sign in to your Google account and make sure you have enough free space in Google Drive to store the WhatsApp chat history. Assuming you’ve met those prerequisites, you’ll need to follow these steps to backup your data:
Once this process is complete, retrieve your new device, sign into the same Google account where you backed up your information, and then follow these steps:
Now you should be able to access all of your chats and media on your new phone. Keep in mind that some of your WhatsApp data, like call logs, will not be transferred using this method.
