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How do I restore my WhatsApp network?

WhatsApp has become an integral part of our daily communication. It allows us to stay in touch with friends and family easily through messaging, voice calls, and video calls. However, sometimes we may encounter issues with our WhatsApp account that can cause us to lose access to our WhatsApp network and contacts. The most common issues that can cause this are:

  • Switching to a new device
  • Reinstalling WhatsApp
  • Changing your phone number
  • Deleting your WhatsApp account

When such issues occur, all your WhatsApp contacts may be lost. But don’t worry, there are several ways you can restore your WhatsApp network and contacts on Android and iOS devices. In this 5000 word guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process to restore your WhatsApp data and contacts on both Android and iOS.

Backing Up Your WhatsApp Data

Before we look at how to restore your WhatsApp network, it’s important to understand how to properly back up your WhatsApp data. This will make the restoration process much easier. Here are the steps to back up your chats on Android and iOS:

On Android:

  1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the 3-dot menu in the top right.
  2. Go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
  3. Tap on Back Up to Google Drive and select a backup frequency (daily, weekly, etc).
  4. Tap Back Up to start backing up your chats to Google Drive.

You can also manually back up your chats by going to WhatsApp > 3-dot menu > Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Back up now.

On iOS:

  1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
  2. Tap on Chats > Chat Backup.
  3. Toggle on the iCloud Backup option.
  4. Tap Back Up Now to manually start a backup.

Your chats will now be backed up daily to iCloud automatically. You can also manually back them up anytime by tapping on Back Up Now.

Restoring WhatsApp on Android

If you’ve lost your WhatsApp data on Android, follow these steps carefully to restore your chats and network:

Via Google Drive Backup

  1. Reinstall WhatsApp on your Android device and verify your number.
  2. On the ‘Restore chats’ screen, tap Restore.
  3. WhatsApp will now restore your chats and data from Google Drive.

As long as you had set up Google Drive backup previously, this will restore your WhatsApp network from the cloud.

Via Local Backup

  1. Copy the WhatsApp /sdcard/WhatsApp folder to your computer.
  2. Reinstall WhatsApp and verify your number.
  3. On the ‘Restore chats’ screen, tap Skip.
  4. Close WhatsApp completely.
  5. Replace the new WhatsApp /sdcard/WhatsApp folder with your old local backup folder.
  6. Open WhatsApp again. It will now restore chats from your local backup.

This method is useful when you don’t have Google Drive backup enabled but have a manual local backup available on your device or computer.

Via WhatsApp Business

  1. Install WhatsApp Business on your device.
  2. Verify your phone number on WhatsApp Business.
  3. Tap More Options > Settings > Chats > Restore Chats.
  4. Select the backup file from internal storage or SD card to restore.

Even if you have deleted your regular WhatsApp account, your data will still be restored from the local backup file using WhatsApp Business.

From Google Drive via Third-Party Apps

If above methods don’t work, your Google Drive backup may be corrupted. You can try using third-party Android apps to extract and restore WhatsApp data from Google Drive. Some good options are:

  • Dr.Fone – WhatsApp Transfer, Backup & Restore
  • iMyFone D-Back – Android WhatsApp Recovery
  • FonePaw Android Data Recovery

These apps can pull your WhatsApp backup data from Google Drive and restore it to your Android device securely.

Restoring WhatsApp on iPhone

Here are the best ways to restore your WhatsApp network if you lose your iPhone data:

Via iCloud Backup

  1. Reinstall WhatsApp on your iPhone.
  2. Verify your phone number.
  3. Tap Restore when prompted.
  4. Select the iCloud backup to restore data from.

This will restore your WhatsApp chats and contacts from your iCloud backup seamlessly.

Via iTunes or Finder Backup

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
  2. Open iTunes or Finder and create an iPhone backup.
  3. Restore your iPhone to this backup via iTunes or Finder.
  4. Reinstall WhatsApp and verify your number.
  5. Your chats will be restored from the local backup.

If you don’t use iCloud backup, this method allows you to restore WhatsApp from a local iTunes or Finder backup.

Via Third-Party Apps

You can use third-party iOS data recovery apps to extract WhatsApp data from an iTunes or iCloud backup and restore it to your iPhone. Some good options include:

  • iMyFone D-Back – iPhone WhatsApp Recovery
  • FonePaw iOS Data Recovery
  • EaseUS MobiSaver for iOS

These apps provide user-friendly interfaces to securely restore your WhatsApp chats and contacts from previous iPhone backups.

Transferring WhatsApp Data to a New Phone

When you get a new phone, you’ll likely want to move your WhatsApp history and contacts over as well. Here are the best ways to transfer WhatsApp data to a new phone:

For Android:

  1. Back up WhatsApp on your old phone to Google Drive.
  2. Install WhatsApp on your new Android phone.
  3. Verify your number and restore data from Google Drive backup.

This will transfer your chats seamlessly between Android phones via the cloud.

For iPhone:

  1. Back up your old iPhone to iCloud.
  2. Set up your new iPhone and install WhatsApp.
  3. Restore from iCloud backup during setup.

iCloud backup and restore helps copy all your WhatsApp data to your new iPhone.

From Android to iPhone:

  1. On Android, back up WhatsApp to Google Drive.
  2. On iPhone, install Move to iOS app.
  3. Follow prompts to transfer data from Android to iPhone.
  4. Install WhatsApp on iPhone and log in.
  5. Tap Import when prompted to transfer WhatsApp data.

For cross-platform transfer, use Move to iOS to migrate your WhatsApp chats between Android and iOS.

Troubleshooting WhatsApp Restore Issues

In some cases, you may encounter issues while restoring your WhatsApp data from a backup. Here are some common restore problems and their solutions:

WhatsApp Hanging at ‘Restoring’ Screen

  • Force close and reopen WhatsApp.
  • Clear WhatsApp data and cache from phone settings.
  • Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp if needed.

WhatsApp Restores with No Data

  • Backup may have been corrupted or empty.
  • Restore the correct backup from Google Drive or iCloud.
  • Check internet connection and try again.

Some Media/Messages Not Restoring

  • Large media files may fail to restore sometimes.
  • Restart your phone and try restoring again.
  • Use a third-party app for better restore capability.

WhatsApp Keeps Crashing on Restore

  • Update WhatsApp to the latest version.
  • Free up storage space on your phone.
  • Try restoring while connected to stable WiFi.
  • Wipe WhatsApp data before restoring as last resort.

Conclusion

Restoring your WhatsApp data and contacts is easy if you have a proper backup available. Follow the step-by-step instructions outlined above based on your smartphone platform. Take regular backups to avoid permanent data loss. If you run into any issues with the built-in restore process, use third-party apps for a smoother experience. With the right backup and restore methods, you can seamlessly recover your WhatsApp network even after switching devices or reinstalling the app.