How to Transfer WhatsApp Chats from Android to iPhone
We often see people switch from Android phones to iPhones to get a taste of Apple’s premium hardware and smooth software experience. But the one criticism that we regularly hear from users making the switch, especially in places like India, is that there’s no straightforward way to transfer old WhatsApp chats from your Android phone to iPhone.
Well, WhatsAppfinally listenedto our incessant requests and rolled out a simple way to move your chats from Android to iPhone. If you are someone who has been looking for a solution to this problem or relying on paid tools to move your precious chats, well, not anymore. In this article, we will explain how you can transfer your WhatsApp messages and media from Android to iPhone with ease.
Requirements to Move WhatsApp Messages from Android to iOS
There are a number of things that you need to remember before you transfer your WhatsApp chats from your Android phone to an iPhone. It is important that you read these points carefully and thoroughly, else you might mess up the transfer process.
You need to meet the following requirements to transfer WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone:
What WhatsApp Data You Can or Cannot Transfer to iPhone?
On its official support page, WhatsApp has detailed the data you will be able to move from Android to iPhone. We have tabulated the same right here:
How to Reset an iPhone
If you are moving from an Android phone to a new iPhone, then you are good to go and can move your WhatsApp chats while setting up your Apple device for the first time. However, if you are already using an iPhone and wish to bring your old chats over from Android, you will first need toreset your iPhone, as stated above.
The process to factory reset an iPhone is easy, but we suggest youback up your databefore you proceed further. Once you are ready to reset your Apple device, here’s how to go about it:
Steps to Transfer WhatsApp Chats from Android to iPhone
Note: We used the OnePlus Nord running Android 12-based OxygenOS 12 and iPhone SE 2 running iOS 15.5 to test the WhatsApp data transfer feature in this tutorial.
Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s look at how you can transfer WhatsApp data from an Android phone to your iPhone for free. Oh yeah! You no longer need to get paid third-party tools to move WhatsApp chats to your iPhone. Here’s how the free and official method for moving chats from Android to iPhone works:
Note: In the meantime, you will see a message saying, “Waiting for ” on your iPhone.Check out a screenshot of the waiting screen via thelink right here.
Note: Please stay patient as the WhatsApp data transfer process can take some time. The app usually says 4-5 minutes, but it may take longer if your backup is fairly large. I moved a 1.7GB WhatsApp backup from Android to iPhone, and it took around 30 minutes.
Set up WhatsApp and Complete Data Transfer on iPhone
Now, you can set aside the Android phone and tap the “Continue Setting Up iPhone” button on your Apple device, as seen in the image above. After that, follow the steps below to set up WhatsApp on your iPhone:
Enable iCloud Backup for WhatsApp on iPhone
While you are done, there’s a final step you should follow for safekeeping. Now, it’s important to mention that your data was moved to your iPhone using a local backup, so you need to enable iCloud backup for WhatsApp manually.
To do that, navigate to “Settings -> Chats -> Chat Backup” and select the “Back Up Now” option to keep your chat history and media in iCloud. Now, whenever you switch to another iPhone, you can easily restore all your previous messages using the iCloud backup. For any moreWhatsApp tips and tricks, check out the linked article.
If you wish to upgrade your iPhone but didn’t backup your WhatsApp chat, fret not. Fortunately, WhatsApp now lets youtransfer your chats from iPhone to iPhone without any backup.
WhatsApp Chats Move to iOS Not Working? How to Fix!
If you face any issues while trying to transfer your chats from your Android phone to your iPhone, try out the following solutions:
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First, make sure that both your Android phone and iPhone meet the basic requirements listed at the start of this article. Also, ensure you’re running a compatible version of WhatsApp on your devices.
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Next, remember to reset your iPhone before moving your old WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone. You can’t move WhatsApp data to an already activated iPhone, as“it’s not possible to merge the new and old history,”states WhatsApp on its support page. So follow the steps above to reset your iPhone before you proceed further. If you’re setting up a brand new iPhone, you don’t need to worry about this.
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Remember that both the Android phone and iPhone need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network for the chat transfer to work.
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If these two things are in place, we urge you to log into WhatsApp on your iPhone using the same phone number that you were using on your Android phone. You cannot change phone numbers during the transfer process.
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Finally, there’s a possibility that the “Move to iOS” app is not working properly or crashing on your Android phone. If that’s the case, on its official support page, WhatsApp suggests contacting Apple support to help you resolve the issue.
So yeah, if you closely follow the step-by-step instructions described above, you will be able to transfer your WhatsApp chats to your new iPhone with ease. Moreover, for those making the switch from iPhone to Android, the messaging giant lets you move messages the other way around as well. We are glad to see WhatsApp finally shoulder the initiative and simplify moving between mobile platforms. Also, if you’re planning to upgrade your older iPhone to thelatest iPhone 15, you cantransfer your WhatsApp chats without any backup.This method also works if you want to transfer chats between two Android smartphones.
If you come across any issues while transferring your WhatsApp chats, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below.
Way back in June 2022, WhatsApp officially added support for chat transfers from Android to iPhone. You simply need a compatible Android phone with the “Move to iOS” app and iPhone (new or reset) to move messages from your Android phone to WhatsApp. We have added detailed instructions to transfer chats from Android to iPhone in our guide, so give it a read for more information.
You cannot restore WhatsApp chats using Google Drive backup from your Android phone on your iPhone. Instead, you can now use the “Move to iOS” app to transfer your chat history from an Android phone to an iPhone with ease.
Yes, it is now possible tobackup your WhatsApp datafrom Google Drive to iCloud. The process is tedious and involves transferring your chats from Android to iPhone using the official process supported by WhatsApp. It requires a factory reset iPhone and an Android phone with the Move to iOS app. Once you have successfully moved the chats from Android to iPhone, you can turn on iCloud backups on your iPhone. We have explained how that works in our guide.
No, WhatsApp will not be able to see the data you transfer from Android to iPhone. Also, your messages will not go to any cloud storage server unless you enable iCloud backups after moving your data.
The answer is no.“Your Android phone will still have your data unless youdelete WhatsAppor wipe your phone,”states the messaging giant on its support page.
Anmol
Getting my start with technology journalism back in 2016, I have been working in the industry for over 7 years. Currently, as the Editor of Beebom, I’m leading the coverage on the website. While my expertise lies in Android, Windows, and the apps world, find me reading manga, watching anime, and playing Apex in my free time.
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