WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion active users. It allows you to send messages, make voice and video calls, and share photos, videos, documents and more, all for free (apart from data charges).
Sometimes you may want to uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp on your device. For example, if the app is acting buggy, draining your battery or storage space, or you simply want to start fresh. The good news is, it’s possible to uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp without losing your messages, media, settings and other data.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain how to backup your WhatsApp data, fully uninstall the app, and then reinstall it while restoring your backup. This will essentially give you a ‘clean’ install of WhatsApp, without losing any of your chats or media.
Backing Up Your WhatsApp Data
Before uninstalling WhatsApp, it’s crucial that you back up your data. This will save all your messages, photos, videos and settings to the cloud. There are a few ways to back up your data:
Google Drive Backup
The easiest way to backup your WhatsApp data is to Google Drive:
– Open WhatsApp and tap the More options (three dot) menu
– Select Settings > Chats > Chat backup
– Tap ‘Backup to Google Drive’
– Tap ‘Backup’ to confirm
This will save a copy of your chats to your Google Drive account. WhatsApp recommends doing manual backups regularly, especially before uninstalling the app.
Local Backup
You can also backup your WhatsApp data locally to your device’s storage:
– Open WhatsApp and tap More options > Settings > Chats > Chat backup
– Tap ‘Backup to local storage’
– Tap ‘Backup’ to confirm
The backup will save to a folder on your device’s internal storage. Make sure you copy this folder to a computer or external drive, so you have a safe copy if your device storage is erased.
iCloud Drive Backup (iPhone only)
For iPhone users, you can backup WhatsApp to iCloud Drive:
– Open the Settings app on your iPhone
– Scroll down and tap on WhatsApp
– Tap on Chat Backup
– Tap on Backup to iCloud Drive
– Tap on Back Up Now to perform a manual backup
Your chats and media will be saved to your iCloud account. You can check the status of recent backups under ‘Last Backup’.
Uninstalling WhatsApp
Once you’ve backed up your data, you’re ready to uninstall WhatsApp:
On Android
– Open your Android device’s Settings app
– Tap ‘Apps’ or ‘Application Manager’ (location varies by device)
– Scroll and select WhatsApp
– Tap ‘Uninstall’ and confirm when prompted
This will completely remove the WhatsApp app and its data from your device. Don’t worry, your backup is safely stored.
On iPhone
– Find WhatsApp in your Home screen and long-press the app icon
– Tap ‘Remove App’ then ‘Delete App’ to confirm
As with Android devices, this will delete WhatsApp and all its data from your iPhone. Your backup remains untouched.
That’s it – WhatsApp is now uninstalled. Time to reinstall it and restore your data.
Reinstalling WhatsApp and Restoring Data
Reinstalling WhatsApp after an uninstall is quick and easy. Just download it again from the App Store or Play Store.
Once WhatsApp is installed, launch the app and verify your phone number when prompted.
On Android
– Tap ‘Restore’ when asked if you want to restore your chats and media from Google Drive
– Select your Google account if prompted
WhatsApp will restore your backup and all your chats and media will reappear just as they were before uninstalling.
On iPhone
– Tap ‘Restore’ when asked if you want to restore your chats history from iCloud Drive
– Enter your phone number and tap ‘Next’
– Enter the 6-digit confirmation code you receive via SMS
– WhatsApp will restore your iCloud backup, including chats and media
And that’s all there is to it! With a few simple steps you can uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp on your Android or iPhone without losing any data. Just be sure to backup beforehand.
Backing Up WhatsApp Before Switching Phones
The above method is also useful when you’re switching to a new phone and want to transfer your WhatsApp data. Here are the steps:
1. Backup your WhatsApp messages and media on your old phone using the local or cloud backup methods outlined earlier.
2. Install WhatsApp on your new phone and verify your number.
3. On your new phone, tap ‘Restore’ when prompted and select the backup from your old phone. This will transfer your chats and media.
4. You can now use WhatsApp on your new phone with all your old data intact.
So even when changing phones, you don’t have to lose your WhatsApp data. Cloud backups make transferring WhatsApp to a new phone quick and painless.
Troubleshooting WhatsApp Backups
WhatsApp backups are generally reliable, but sometimes things can go wrong. Here are some tips for troubleshooting backup issues:
– Check your internet connection – Backups require an active internet connection. Try connecting to a stable WiFi network.
– Verify your Google/iCloud storage space – Make sure you have enough free storage for your backup files. WhatsApp requires up to 1.5GB for a local Android backup.
– Force stop WhatsApp – Sometimes restarting the app can resolve backup issues. Force stop the app and clear cache before retrying backup.
– Uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp – As a last resort, you can uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp to reset settings and force a fresh backup. Just be sure to use your existing backup to restore data.
– Contact WhatsApp support – If backups are still failing, you may need to contact WhatsApp directly for troubleshooting help.
Key Takeaways
– Always back up your WhatsApp data before uninstalling or switching phones
– Use Google Drive or iCloud Drive backups to seamlessly transfer WhatsApp data between devices
– Local backups to device storage provide redundancy in case cloud backups fail
– Reinstall WhatsApp after uninstalling and restore your chats and media from backup
– Force stop, clear cache and reinstall WhatsApp if you face backup issues
Conclusion
Uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp doesn’t have to lead to losing valuable conversations, photos, videos and other personal data. By following the right backup procedure and restoring from Google Drive or iCloud Drive, you can seamlessly transfer your WhatsApp content between devices. Cloud backups in particular make it easy to move your WhatsApp profile to a new phone.
So next time your WhatsApp app is acting up or you’re getting a new phone, don’t hesitate to uninstall, reinstall and restore. With the proper backups, your WhatsApp data will transfer safely every time.