WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It’s common for people to want to change phones or switch operating systems while keeping their existing WhatsApp account and chat history intact. Thankfully, WhatsApp makes it easy to change phones without losing your number or data.
In this guide, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process of switching your WhatsApp account from an old phone to a new phone while keeping the same phone number and chat history. We’ll cover transferring WhatsApp between both Android and iPhone devices.
Things You’ll Need
Before starting the transfer process, make sure you have the following:
- The old phone with the existing WhatsApp account
- The new phone where you want to transfer WhatsApp
- A SIM card that fits the new phone (same number as your old SIM)
- Both phones should be charged to at least 50% battery
- A WiFi or mobile data connection on both phones
- WhatsApp installed on both devices
- Google Drive backup enabled on Android, or iCloud backup enabled on iPhone
You’ll also need to make sure your old phone and new phone are compatible for transferring WhatsApp data:
| Old Phone | New Phone | Compatible? |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone | iPhone | Yes |
| iPhone | Android | No |
| Android | iPhone | No |
| Android | Android | Yes |
As you can see, you can only directly transfer WhatsApp data between two Android phones or two iPhones. Switching between operating systems will require you to back up your WhatsApp chat history separately.
Transferring WhatsApp from iPhone to iPhone
If you’re moving your WhatsApp account from an old iPhone to a new iPhone, the process is quick and straightforward using your iCloud backup:
- On your old iPhone, open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. Enable iCloud backup if it’s disabled.
- Connect your new iPhone and make sure you’re signed in with the same Apple ID used on your old device. This syncs the iCloud backup.
- On your new phone, install WhatsApp from the App Store using the same phone number as your old account. WhatsApp will detect your existing iCloud backup and restore your chats.
- Wait for your chat history and media files to finish syncing. This may take a while depending on how big your backup is.
- You can now start using WhatsApp on your new iPhone with your chat history intact!
The key things to remember are enabling iCloud backup on your old iPhone and using the same Apple ID on your new device. As long as you restore from the same iCloud backup, WhatsApp makes it seamless to transfer your account.
Transferring WhatsApp from Android to Android
Switching your WhatsApp account between two Android phones is also straightforward if you use your Google Drive backup:
- On your old Android phone, open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. Enable Google Drive backup.
- Insert the SIM card from your old phone into your new Android phone. This ensures you keep the same number.
- Download and install WhatsApp on your new phone. Enter your phone number when prompted.
- WhatsApp will detect your Google Drive backup associated with your number and restore your chats and data.
- Allow time for your media files and data to finish syncing from the cloud.
- Once complete, you can start using WhatsApp on your new Android phone!
The key steps are backing up your chats to Google Drive on your old phone, and entering the same phone number on your new phone during WhatsApp setup. Google Drive backup allows seamless chat history transfer between Android devices.
Transferring WhatsApp Between iPhone and Android
Since WhatsApp doesn’t allow direct chat history transfers between iPhone and Android, you’ll need to take some extra steps to backup and restore your messages if switching between operating systems.
Here is the process:
To move WhatsApp from iPhone to Android:
- On your iPhone, ensure iCloud Chat Backup is enabled for WhatsApp.
- Email the latest WhatsApp chat backup file from iCloud to yourself.
- On your Android phone, install WhatsApp and enter your phone number when prompted.
- Open your email on your Android and download the WhatsApp iCloud backup file attachment.
- Install the WhatsApp Chat History Transfer app from Play Store.
- Open the app and select Restore Chats. Choose the iCloud backup file to import.
- The app will now transfer and restore your iPhone WhatsApp chats to your Android phone.
To move WhatsApp from Android to iPhone:
- On your Android, make sure Google Drive backup is enabled for WhatsApp.
- Download your Google Drive WhatsApp backup as a ZIP file to your computer.
- Install WhatsApp on your new iPhone and enter your phone number when prompted.
- Email the WhatsApp ZIP backup file to yourself so you can access it on your iPhone.
- On your iPhone, tap the ZIP file attachment to unzip the backup.
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Import from iCloud Backup.
- Select the uncompressed backup folder to import your chats.
While not as seamless as transferring between the same OS, this process allows you to successfully move chat history between iPhone and Android.
Transferring WhatsApp to a New Number
If you’re getting a new phone number with your new phone, you can still transfer your WhatsApp account by following these steps:
- Back up your WhatsApp chats on your old phone using either Google Drive or iCloud depending on your OS.
- On your new phone, install WhatsApp and enter your new phone number when prompted.
- Verify your new number via SMS or call.
- Once verified, in WhatsApp go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Restore. Pick your backup.
- Your chats from your old number will now be restored on your new phone.
- You can now start using WhatsApp with your new number!
The key is backing up your old chats first before installing WhatsApp with your new number. As long as you restore from the same backup, you can transfer your chat history to a new phone number.
Troubleshooting WhatsApp Transfer Issues
In some cases the WhatsApp transfer may not go smoothly. Here are some common issues and fixes:
WhatsApp backup size too large
If your chat backup file exceeds the size limit for Google Drive or iCloud, the backup may fail. Consider deleting large files or media before backing up again. You can also pay for more cloud storage if needed.
Long wait for chats and media to restore
Restoring a large WhatsApp backup with lots of media can take hours. Be patient and keep both devices connected to power and WiFi during the transfer. Disable battery optimizations on Android to prevent disruptions.
Missing chat history on new phone
Make sure your new phone is restoring chats from the latest backup. If chats are still missing, try uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp to force a fresh restore. Enable WiFi to speed up downloads.
Can’t transfer WhatsApp to new OS
Due to platform differences, you can’t directly transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Android or vice versa. Follow the manual backup steps outlined earlier for OS migration.
WhatsApp linked to wrong account
Double check that your new phone is signing into WhatsApp using the same phone number or Apple ID as your old device to link the right account and backup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about transferring WhatsApp to a new phone:
Does WhatsApp transfer keep all my data?
Yes, when done properly, transferring WhatsApp will migrate your entire chat history, contacts list, groups, media files and settings from one phone to another.
Is my WhatsApp backup encrypted?
Backups stored on Google Drive and iCloud are encrypted end-to-end for security. Only you can access the backup files.
Do I need to keep my old SIM card?
Your old SIM card is only needed temporarily during the transfer to ensure you transfer using the same number. Afterwards you can swap it for your new SIM.
How do I restore my chats after a factory reset?
If you reset your phone, simply reinstall WhatsApp and restore your chats from your last Google Drive or iCloud backup during setup.
Will my chats stay synced across devices?
WhatsApp can sync your chats across different phones or tablets linked to the same account. Turn on WhatsApp multi-device sync.
Conclusion
Transferring your WhatsApp account to a new phone while keeping your chats, number and data is easy with the built-in backup and restore process. Just remember to:
- Back up chats from old phone before switching devices.
- Use same phone number or Apple ID when installing WhatsApp on new phone.
- Restore chats from backup after WhatsApp setup on new phone.
- Be patient for large transfers to complete.
Follow the step-by-step instructions outlined for your specific case. Whether moving between iPhone and Android or getting a new number, you’ll be chatting again on your new phone in no time. Let us know if you have any other WhatsApp transfer questions!