Since the beginning of 2016, WhatsApp has protected messages and calls sent in its app with end-to-end encryption. This means that no one but the sender and recipient of messages can read their content – not even Meta can read or snoop in the content of your conversations.
Despite the fact that WhatsApp is ubiquitous – more than 2 billion people use it every month – it has been a challenge to move your encrypted chats and pictures securely to different platforms or apps. Transferring your WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone and from iPhone to Android has historically only been possible using third-party apps. These apps are often cumbersome and do not necessarily protect your data at the level offered by the WhatsApp ecosystem.
But in recent months, WhatsApp has made it possible to officially switch between iPhones and Android (and vice versa), roll out processes for secure data transfer between operating systems, and partner with phone manufacturers to enable the move.
If you are tired of Meta’s ecosystem, it’s also possible to move your groups and some chat data to other messaging apps. How to move all your WhatsApp chats and backups.
Android to iPhone
Moving your WhatsApp account from Android to an iPhone involves a few steps. But it should be possible to bring most of your information with you: Your profile picture, individual chats and group chats, history, pictures, videos and settings can all make the leap from one device to another. However, your call history and the displayed name cannot be moved, says WhatsApp.
Most of the work of moving your WhatsApp data comes before you make the switch. To move between devices, make sure you have the same phone number on each device. Before you start the process, make sure you have a recently updated version of WhatsApp on your Android phone. You must also run at least Android 5 on the device you are moving from and iOS 15.5 on the iPhone you are moving to. (The iPhone must be a new device or has recently been reset to factory defaults.)
Then download and install the “Move to iOS” app from the Google Play Store – this Apple-owned app will do all the heavy lifting. When you are ready to migrate your data, connect both devices to a power source and connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network. (If you do not have a Wi-Fi network, it is possible to use a hotspot to connect your Android phone to iPhone.)
When both phones are on the same network, open the “Move to iOS” app on your Android phone and follow the instructions to connect the two phones. Then select WhatsApp as the data source you want to transfer from and the app prepares your chats to be moved across – final prompts confirm that you want to switch.
This process will log you out of WhatsApp on your Android phone and you will need to download the app on the iPhone you are moving to. When you first use WhatsApp on this iPhone, it will ask you to use the same number as on your Android device and ask you to complete the transfer process. When the process is complete, if you get rid of your old phone, be sure to perform a factory reset and delete all your data.
iPhone for Android
It has been possible to transfer your WhatsApp chat history from iPhones to Android devices since October 2021. This transfer process includes your photos, messages, voicemails and group conversations.
Compatibility was first rolled out to Samsung phones but has since been expanded to include Google Pixel phones and all devices running Android 12. To take the step, you will need a USB-C-to-Lightning cable to physically connect the two devices, Google explains. “When prompted while setting up your new Android device, scan a QR code on your iPhone to launch WhatsApp,” the company said in a statement. blog posts. Alternatively, you can go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Move chats to Android and follow the transfer instructions.