Since the beginning of 2016, WhatsApp has protected messages and chats sent in its application with end-to-end encryption. This means that no one other than the sender and recipient of the message can read their content — not even Meta can read or peek into your conversation.
While WhatsApp is ubiquitous – more than 2 billion people use it every month – securely migrating your encrypted chats and photos to different platforms or apps is a challenge. Transferring your WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone and from iPhone to Android was previously only possible using a third-party application. These apps are often difficult to use and don’t necessarily protect your data on the level that WhatsApp’s ecosystem offers.
But in recent months, WhatsApp has officially allowed the switch between iPhone and Android (and vice versa), implemented processes to move data between operating systems securely, and worked with developers. manufacture phones to enable mobility.
If you’re bored with Meta’s ecosystem, you can also migrate your groups and some chat data to other messaging apps. Here’s how to migrate all your WhatsApp chats and backups.
Android to iPhone
Migrating your WhatsApp account from Android to iPhone involves a few steps. But can carry most of your information: Your profile picture, individual and group chats, history, photos, videos, and settings can all make the switch from device to device. other. However, your call history and display name cannot be moved, WhatsApp says.
Most of the work migrating your WhatsApp data comes before you change it. To move between devices, you need to make sure you have the same phone number on each device. Before starting the process, make sure that you have a recently updated version of WhatsApp on your Android phone. You also need to be running at least Android 5 on the device you’re transferring to and iOS 15.5 on the iPhone you’re transferring to. (The iPhone needs to be a new or recently factory reset device.)
Next, download and install the “Switch to iOS” app from the Google Play Store — this Apple-owned app does all the heavy lifting. When you’re ready to move your data, plug both devices into a power source and connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network. (If you don’t have a Wi-Fi network, you can use a hotspot to connect your Android phone to your iPhone.)
When both phones are on the same network, open the “Switch 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, and the app will prepare to transfer your chats — the final prompt will confirm you want to make the switch.
This process will sign you out of WhatsApp on your Android phone, and you’ll need to download the app on your iPhone that you’re switching to. When you first use WhatsApp on this iPhone, it will ask you to use the same number as on your Android device and prompt you to complete the transfer. When the process is complete, if you are getting rid of your old phone, make sure to factory reset and erase all your data.
iPhone to Android
Your WhatsApp chat history can be transferred from your iPhone to your Android device as of October 2021. This transfer includes your photos, messages, voice messages, and group chats.
Compatibility deployed for the first time to Samsung phones but has since expanded to include Google Pixel phones and all devices running Android 12. For the move, you’ll 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 the QR code on your iPhone to launch WhatsApp,” the company said in a statement. blog post. Also, in WhatsApp you can access Setting > Chat > Switch Chat to Android and follow the transfer prompts.
