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WhatsApp used to make a move from an old phone to a new one quite difficult. To start, you could only use your account on one device at a time.
Add in a finicky chat transfer process that required you to use a specific cloud storage service to export a backup and then import said backup onto the new device and things became downright messy. It has since come up with a local transfer method that’s easy to use if you’ve got both devices at hand, but it’s limited to iPhone-to-iPhone and Android-to-Android transfers.
How to quickly transfer your WhatsApp messages to a new phone
For the longest time, the only way you could transfer all the data on yourWhatsAppaccount from one device to another was to export and then import a backup to and from your iCloud or Google Drive account, depending on whether you used an iPhone or an Android. It’s by far not the most efficient way to move your conversations over, not to mention that you need an internet connection for both ends of the process. Fortunately, parent company Meta offers a faster local account transfer method.
Local WhatsApp data transfer method
There are a few ways to transfer your WhatsApp account data, each tailored to what kind of phone you’re moving from and to. WhatsApp tellsThe Vergethat its local data transfer method works between two devices on the same operating system - iPhone to iPhone and Android to Android. If you’re jumping between operating systems, you’ll unfortunately still need to rely on the cloud export and import method.
Before proceeding, make sure your new phone is turned on, set up, and has WhatsApp downloaded and ready to open. Then, on your old phone:
All you need to do after that is wait for the process to wrap up on both phones. Your account will then be logged out of your old phone, and you should be free to continue where you left off on WhatsApp - and all the chats you’ve racked up - with your new phone.
Can I transfer from an Android to an iPhone?
As we mentioned up top, the disappointing part of this whole situation is that it really only works properly if you’re moving from an Android phone to an Android phone, or from an iPhone to an iPhone.
If you’re moving between these two operating systems this will be one of the many friction points where you are likely to lose access to some of your history.
You can still move some data over using cloud backups, but it’s pretty fiddly and much less intuitive than the method we’ve laid out above.
Need more help?
If you’re crossing over from Android to iOS,we have pointers for how to move your WhatsApp chats.
Also, if you don’t have your old phone where your WhatsApp account currently resides, and the new phone that you’ll be transferring that account to, you’ll need to import a cloud backup instead. Fortunately, we have a guide on how toperform a transfer through a backup, too.
Finally, don’t miss our extensive list ofgeneral tips and tricks for WhatsApp- there are countless little bits of information on it that could basically change how you use the app for the better. If you’re hoping to find ways to make it easier to use, more private or any number of other elements, there’s sure to be something you didn’t know.
