Moving your WhatsApp chats from Google Drive to iCloud can be a bit tricky, but it is possible with a few simple steps. In this article, we will walk through everything you need to know to successfully transfer your chats between cloud storage platforms.
Why Move WhatsApp Chats to iCloud?
There are a few key reasons why you may want to move your WhatsApp chat history from Google Drive over to iCloud:
- You are switching from an Android phone to an iPhone and want to keep your chat history
- You want your WhatsApp backups stored in the same place as your iCloud photos, contacts, etc. for convenience
- You have limited storage space on Google Drive and want to free it up by moving chats over to iCloud
- You no longer use/trust Google services and prefer keeping data in iCloud
- You find iCloud easier to manage or more reliable for backups compared to Google Drive
The main thing is that moving chats to iCloud can provide more seamless integration with your iPhone and allow you to manage all your iOS device backups in one place.
Can I Transfer WhatsApp Chats Directly from Google Drive to iCloud?
Unfortunately, there is no direct way to move WhatsApp chats from Google Drive over to iCloud. The chat history is stored in a database format that is linked specifically to that cloud account.
However, it is possible to transfer your chats indirectly by restoring your Google Drive backup to a device, then backing up that device to iCloud. This process effectively “moves” your chats as the latest backup will then be on iCloud instead of Google Drive.
Step 1: Backup WhatsApp Chats on Google Drive
Before beginning the transfer process, you should make sure your WhatsApp chats are fully backed up on Google Drive. This provides a failsafe if anything goes wrong with the move.
To backup chats on Google Drive:
- Open WhatsApp on your Android device
- Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup
- Tap “Backup” to manually start a backup
- Ensure Google Drive is selected as the backup location
- Tap “Back Up” to confirm and wait for the backup to complete
- Check that the “Last Backup” date/time reflects your latest manual backup
This process uploads your latest WhatsApp data including chats, media, and settings to Google Drive.
Step 2: Copy Google Drive Backup to Your Computer
With your chats backed up on Google Drive, you now need to copy the backup file from Google Drive to your computer:
- Open Google Drive on your computer and log in
- Navigate to the WhatsApp chat backups folder
- Locate the latest backup file – it will be named something like “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt12”
- Right click on the file and choose “Make a copy”
- Save the copied file somewhere easy to locate on your computer – for example the Desktop
This will give you a copy of your latest WhatsApp chat backup that exists purely on your computer, outside of Google Drive.
Step 3: Transfer the Backup File to Your iPhone
Now you need to get the WhatsApp chat backup file from your computer over to your iPhone:
- Connect your iPhone to your computer with the charging cable
- Open iTunes on the computer and select your connected iPhone
- Under Backups, choose “Sync” to sync your iPhone data via iTunes
- Navigate to the File Sharing section in iTunes
- Under Apps, scroll down and select WhatsApp
- Drag the WhatsApp backup file you saved earlier into the Documents pane
- Click Sync or Apply to transfer the backup file over to your iPhone
The WhatsApp backup from Google Drive is now safely stored on your iPhone ready for the next step.
Step 4: Restore WhatsApp Backup on Your iPhone
With the backup file on your iPhone, you can now restore it to import all your chats:
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone
- If prompted, accept terms of service and verify your phone number
- On the Restore Chat History page, tap “Restore”
- Select the backup file from Google Drive that you transferred to this device
- Tap Next and allow restoration to progress
- All your chats, media, and settings will be imported onto your device
You now have your full WhatsApp chat history from Google Drive restored on your iPhone.
Step 5: Backup WhatsApp Chats on iCloud
The final step is to backup your WhatsApp chats on iCloud so they are migrated away from Google Drive:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup
- Choose “Backup to iCloud”
- Tap “Back Up Now” to manually trigger an iCloud backup
- Check “Last Backup” shows a recent time to confirm it worked
Your WhatsApp chats, media, and settings are now fully backed up and synced with iCloud rather than Google Drive.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you can successfully migrate your WhatsApp chat history from Google Drive over to iCloud. The key process involves:
- Backing up your WhatsApp chats on Google Drive
- Copying the backup file to your computer
- Transferring the backup to your iPhone
- Restoring the Google Drive backup on your iPhone
- Backing up WhatsApp on iCloud
While a bit tedious, this process allows you to move your chat data between cloud platforms and integrate WhatsApp with iCloud on your iPhone. Just be sure to export a backup from Google Drive before beginning.