When a new version of WhatsApp comes out, one of the first questions many users have is “Will I lose my chat history if I update?” Understandably, people are concerned about losing old messages, media, and conversations if they install the latest WhatsApp update.
The good news is, generally speaking, updating WhatsApp does not result in losing your chat history or messages. Here’s a more in-depth look at how WhatsApp handles chat history when you update the app, and what you need to know to make sure your messages are safe.
How WhatsApp Saves Your Chat History
WhatsApp has a built-in backup system that securely saves your chat history and messages to your phone’s internal storage or Google Drive cloud storage on a regular basis. This allows you to restore your messages if you ever switch phones or reinstall WhatsApp.
Your chat history is not stored within the WhatsApp app itself. Rather, it is saved in backup files separate from the app’s core code. This separation means updating the WhatsApp app does not overwrite your existing chat history and messages.
Local Storage Backups
By default, WhatsApp saves backup files to your Android phone or iPhone’s local storage. These backups occur daily when your phone is charging, connected to WiFi, and the screen is locked. Local WhatsApp backups contain your messages, media files, and other data.
Google Drive Backups
You also have the option to backup your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive. This provides an additional cloud-based backup that can be handy if you lose your phone or switch devices. When enabled, WhatsApp will save backups to Google Drive periodically when charging and connected to WiFi.
Will Updating WhatsApp Delete My Old Messages?
With your chat history and media files saved outside of the app in separate backup files, updating the WhatsApp app itself does not affect or delete these backups. Your local and Google Drive backups remain intact when you update.
Therefore, you can safely update to the latest WhatsApp version without worrying about losing access to old messages, photos, videos, and other chat data. Your backup files will still be there after updating.
Exceptions Where Messages May Be Lost
In some rare cases, a small number of recent unsaved messages could be lost when updating WhatsApp:
- If you have very recent messages that WhatsApp has not yet backed up, these could be lost if you update prior to the next scheduled backup.
- If your latest backup becomes corrupted or deleted before updating, you may lose messages since the last good backup.
- If you uninstall WhatsApp before your chats have been properly backed up, they may be deleted.
However, in typical update scenarios there should be no message loss. The vast majority of your chats and media will be preserved across updates.
How to Ensure Your Messages Are Backed Up Before Updating
If you want total peace of mind, there are a few steps you can take to guarantee your chat history is saved before updating to the latest WhatsApp version:
- Launch WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Manually trigger a backup by tapping “Back Up Now.”
- Wait for the manual backup to complete before updating WhatsApp.
- Check that your chats show a recent backup date and time.
As long as your chats display a very recent backup, you can safely proceed with the WhatsApp update. This ensures all your messages are saved outside the app prior to updating.
Additional Tips
- Consider enabling Google Drive backups for additional redundancy.
- Make sure you have a stable internet connection when updating.
- Do not delete or uninstall WhatsApp until after you’ve updated and confirmed your chats are intact.
- If your phone is low on storage, clear space before updating to prevent backup issues.
What If I Don’t See My Old Messages After Updating?
In the very unlikely event your chat history seems to disappear after an update, don’t panic. Your messages are probably still intact in a backup file.
First, check your WhatsApp backup settings to confirm the date/time of your latest backup. As long as it’s recent, your chats are recoverable.
Next, try restoring your backup:
- For local storage backups: Uninstall WhatsApp > Reinstall WhatsApp > Verify your phone number > At the prompt, restore chats from local backup.
- For Google Drive backups: Tap “Restore” in WhatsApp Settings > Chat Backup > Google Drive to restore cloud backup.
With one of these options, you should be able to retrieve missing chats, media, and messages after updating WhatsApp.
Can I Selectively Restore Certain Chats?
WhatsApp’s backup restore process is an all-or-nothing proposition. When you restore from a local or Google Drive backup, it will retrieve every chat from that backup point.
There is no way to selectively choose only certain conversations to restore. You cannot pick and choose individual chats or messages from a backup.
If you wish to only restore certain conversations and not others, here are a few options:
- Restore a very old backup from when you only had the chats you want.
- Export specific chats to email/storage before restoring.
- Manually select/copy messages from backup files using a file manager app (advanced).
Otherwise, your only restore option is to retrieve every chat from the backup time you select.
Does WhatsApp Delete Old Messages Automatically?
WhatsApp does not automatically delete or prune old messages from your chat history. Your backups can store many years’ worth of chat data unless you manually clear things out.
A common misconception is that WhatsApp deletes old messages after a set period of time, like 7 years. This is not true – your chat history and media can be retained indefinitely.
The only automatic cleanup WhatsApp performs is deleting very old backups that exceed your available storage space. Oldest backups are cleared first to make room if your phone or cloud storage fills up.
Aside from space constraints, however, WhatsApp never proactively removes messages, media, or conversations. These remain available unless you manually clear chat history.
Clearing Chat Backup Data
If you wish to selectively remove old WhatsApp data from backups, that is possible through a few methods:
- Delete specific conversations before backing up.
- Use phone file manager to manually delete parts of a local backup.
- Clear all WhatsApp data which erases entire backup.
Just be aware there is no way to selectively prune only certain old chats or media files from backups. You must either delete conversations before backing up, or wipe everything.
Should I Delete WhatsApp When Switching Phones?
When changing to a new phone, you absolutely should not delete or uninstall WhatsApp until after your chat history is safely transferred.
The proper procedure for switching devices without losing messages is:
- Back up chats to local storage or Google Drive on your old phone.
- Install and set up WhatsApp on your new phone.
- Restore chat backup from old phone to your new phone.
- Confirm messages are transferred successfully.
- You can now safely delete WhatsApp from your old device if desired.
Never delete WhatsApp from your old phone prior to completing the backup and restore process. This risks permanent chat loss when changing phones.
Full WhatsApp Backup Transfer Steps
Here are the detailed steps to safely move your chats to a new phone:
- On your old phone, open WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap “Back Up Now” to manually trigger a new local/Google Drive backup containing your latest messages.
- Wait for backup to fully complete.
- On your new phone, install and set up WhatsApp.
- When prompted, tap “Restore” and choose the backup from your old phone.
- Let WhatsApp restore chats and media from the backup.
- Once finished, verify all your messages are present on the new phone.
- You can now safely uninstall WhatsApp from your old device if you wish.
Follow this process carefully to keep all chat history intact when changing phones!
Conclusions
To summarize the key points:
- Updating WhatsApp does not delete your existing chat history or messages as these are stored in separate backups.
- Manually back up chats before updating for total assurance.
- If messages disappear after an update, restore your latest backup.
- WhatsApp does not auto-delete old chats except to clear space.
- When switching phones, transfer chats properly before uninstalling WhatsApp.
Following these best practices will ensure your valuable chat history remains safe when making changes or upgrades to WhatsApp.
Summary Tables
WhatsApp Backup Locations
| Backup Type | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local Storage Backup | Phone internal storage | Automatic daily backups saved by default |
| Google Drive Backup | WhatsApp folder in Google Drive | Optional cloud backups for redundancy |
WhatsApp Chat Recovery Options
| Recovery Method | How To | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Local Storage Restore | Uninstall & reinstall WhatsApp, restore from backup | Retrieve chats saved locally on device storage |
| Google Drive Restore | Tap “Restore” in WhatsApp Chat Backup | Restore chats from Google Drive cloud backup |
WhatsApp Data Transfer Steps
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Backup chats on old device |
| 2 | Install WhatsApp on new device |
| 3 | Restore backup to new device |
| 4 | Verify messages transferred OK |
| 5 | Uninstall WhatsApp from old device (optional) |