A person using a smartphone, the same kind of everyday device switch that makes moving WhatsApp chats feel stressful until the right method is chosen.
Switching to a new phone should feel exciting, but for many people the first worry is not the new camera or the faster chip, because it is the years of WhatsApp chats, photos, and voice notes stored on the old handset.
The good news is that WhatsApp now offers official ways to move your chat history between phones, and the right method depends mainly on whether you are staying on the same platform or switching between Android and iPhone.
This guide explains each official route step by step, so you can pick the one that matches your old and new phones, avoid the mistakes that cause lost chats, and check that everything arrived safely before you wipe the old device.
Key Points Before You Move Your Chats
Use the same phone number on both phones. WhatsApp ties your account and your chat history to your phone number, so the official transfer methods require the same number on the new phone as on the old one.
If you are also changing your number, change it in WhatsApp on the old phone first, using the Change Number feature, and only start the transfer once that change is complete.
Update WhatsApp on both phones before you begin. Outdated versions can hide the transfer options or fail halfway through, so install the latest WhatsApp update from the Play Store or the App Store on both devices first.
Also charge both phones well above half, or keep them plugged in, because a transfer can take a long time when your chat history includes many videos and large groups.
Make a fresh backup first, even if you plan a direct transfer. A current Google Drive backup on Android or iCloud backup on iPhone gives you a safety net if the direct transfer stalls, fails, or is interrupted by a low battery.
Do not delete WhatsApp from the old phone or factory reset it until you have opened the new phone and confirmed that your most important chats and media are actually there.
Check that the new phone has enough free storage. Your new phone needs at least as much free space as your WhatsApp data occupies, and it needs extra room for the transfer process itself, so free up space or remove large unused apps before you start.
A transfer that runs out of space can stop without a clear warning, and it is far easier to check storage in advance than to recover from a half-finished move.
Pick the method that matches your switch. Same-platform moves use a cloud backup or a direct chat transfer, while cross-platform moves use Move to iOS for Android to iPhone and a cable transfer for iPhone to Android.
Using the wrong method is the most common cause of confusion, because a Google Drive backup cannot be restored directly on an iPhone, and an iCloud backup cannot be restored directly on an Android phone.
Keep both phones close together and do not interrupt the process. Direct transfers use a local connection between the two phones, so moving them apart, switching apps, or letting either phone sleep can break the connection and force you to start again.
Set aside enough uninterrupted time, turn off battery optimisation for WhatsApp if your Android phone offers that option, and let the progress bar finish completely before touching either device.
Before You Start: A Quick Checklist
Start by confirming the basics on both phones, because most failed transfers trace back to a simple preparation step that was skipped in the excitement of unboxing a new device.
First, verify that both phones are connected to a stable Wi-Fi network, or that you have the right cable for a wired transfer, and confirm that you can still receive text messages on your number for verification.
Next, open WhatsApp on the old phone and make sure you know your backup settings, including whether your backup is encrypted and whether you remember its password or 64-digit encryption key.
An encrypted backup is useless without its password, so write it down somewhere safe before you begin, and do not rely on remembering a key you set months or years ago.
Finally, clean up anything you do not need to move, because deleting very large videos, duplicate media, and dead group chats before the transfer can cut the waiting time dramatically.
WhatsApp lets you review storage usage in Settings, then Storage and Data, then Manage Storage, where you can delete large files chat by chat without losing the conversations themselves.
Android to Android: Google Drive Backup or Direct Transfer
Moving from one Android phone to another is the simplest switch, because both phones use the same backup system and the same Google account can carry your history across.
The most reliable method is a Google Drive backup, which works even if the old phone is already gone, as long as you created a backup before you stopped using it.
On the old Android phone, open WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Chats, then Chat Backup, and tap Back Up to create a fresh backup linked to your Google account.
Choose whether to include videos, because videos make the backup much larger and slower, and confirm that the backup finished successfully before you move on to the new phone.
On the new Android phone, install WhatsApp, verify the same phone number, and tap Restore when WhatsApp finds your Google Drive backup, then wait for the restore to finish before sending new messages.
Your media will continue downloading in the background after the chats appear, so give the phone time on Wi-Fi before judging whether photos and videos made the move.
Many newer Android phones also offer a direct chat transfer during setup or inside WhatsApp, which moves chats from phone to phone over a local connection without using cloud storage at all.
If your phones offer that option, follow the on-screen prompts to scan a code or confirm the connection, keep both phones close together, and use it when you prefer not to upload your chats to Google Drive.
Either way, the result should be the same, because your individual chats, group chats, messages, photos, videos, voice notes, and documents all travel with your account when the restore completes.
iPhone to iPhone: iCloud Backup or Direct Chat Transfer
Moving from one iPhone to another is equally straightforward, because both phones share the same iCloud backup system and the same Apple ID can carry your history across.
On the old iPhone, open WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Chats, then Chat Backup, and tap Back Up Now to create a fresh iCloud backup before you switch phones.
Make sure the old iPhone is signed in to iCloud, that iCloud Drive is turned on, and that you have enough free iCloud storage for the backup, because a backup that fails for lack of space will not help you later.
On the new iPhone, install WhatsApp, verify the same phone number, and tap Restore Chat History when WhatsApp finds your iCloud backup, then wait patiently while the chats download.
As with Android, media downloads continue in the background after the text chats appear, so stay on Wi-Fi until photos and videos have finished arriving.
Newer iPhones also support a direct Chat Transfer feature, found in WhatsApp under Settings, then Chats, then Transfer Chats to iPhone, which moves your history straight from the old iPhone to the new one.
To use it, open the same screen on the new iPhone, scan the QR code shown there with the old iPhone, keep both phones nearby with Wi-Fi turned on, and wait until the transfer finishes completely.
Direct transfer is a good choice when your iCloud storage is full or you simply do not want to wait for a cloud upload and download, while the iCloud route is better when the old phone is no longer available.
Android to iPhone: Use Move to iOS During Setup
Moving WhatsApp from Android to iPhone requires a different tool, because Google Drive backups cannot be restored on an iPhone, so Apple and WhatsApp built the transfer into the Move to iOS app instead.
This method only works while the iPhone is new or has been reset to factory settings, because the transfer option appears during the iPhone setup screens and disappears once setup is finished.
Do not set up the iPhone fully and install WhatsApp first, because once WhatsApp is active on the iPhone, the official transfer no longer works without erasing the iPhone and starting again.
WhatsApp lists the requirements clearly, and they are worth checking before you begin, because missing one of them will stop the whole process before it starts.
You need an Android phone running Android 5 or later with the Move to iOS app installed, an iPhone running iOS 15.5 or later that is new or factory reset, the latest WhatsApp on both phones, and the same phone number on both devices.
Both phones should also be plugged into power and connected to the same Wi-Fi network, or the Android phone should be connected to the iPhone hotspot, so the transfer is not interrupted by a dead battery or a dropped connection.
Start by installing Move to iOS from the Google Play Store on the Android phone, then begin setting up the iPhone and follow the screens until you reach the transfer step that asks where your data is coming from.
Choose the option to move data from Android, and the iPhone will display a one-time code, which you then enter into the Move to iOS app on the Android phone to link the two devices.
On the Transfer Data screen, select WhatsApp, then tap Start on the Android phone and wait while WhatsApp prepares your chats and media for the move.
WhatsApp will sign you out on the Android phone once the data is ready, and you should then tap Next to return to Move to iOS and tap Continue to let the transfer run to completion.
After the iPhone setup finishes, install WhatsApp from the App Store, sign in with the same phone number, and tap Start when WhatsApp offers to import the transferred chats.
Your chats should then appear on the iPhone, although media may take extra time to download, so stay on Wi-Fi and keep the phone charged until everything has arrived.
One important detail is that your data stays on the Android phone unless you delete WhatsApp or wipe the phone, which gives you a useful fallback if anything looks incomplete after the move.
iPhone to Android: Cable Transfer During Setup
Moving WhatsApp from iPhone to Android uses the official chat transfer built into Android setup, and it works best when the Android phone is new or has been reset to factory settings.
The requirements are similar to the reverse direction, including an iPhone running iOS 12.5 or later, an Android phone running Android 12 or later, the latest WhatsApp on both phones, and the same phone number on both devices.
Start setting up the new Android phone and connect it to Wi-Fi, then when the setup screen offers to copy apps and data, connect the iPhone to the Android phone with a USB-C to Lightning cable, or a USB-C to USB-C cable on newer iPhones.
On the iPhone, tap Trust if the phone asks whether to trust the connected device, because the transfer cannot proceed until that connection is approved.
The Android phone will then show a QR code during setup, and you should open WhatsApp on the iPhone, go to Settings, then Chats, then Move Chats to Android, and scan that code.
Tap Start on the iPhone and wait while WhatsApp prepares your chats and media, then keep both phones connected and close together until the Android setup reports that the transfer is complete.
Finish setting up the Android phone, open WhatsApp, sign in with the same phone number, and your transferred chats should appear, with media continuing to download in the background.
As with the other direction, your data remains on the iPhone until you delete WhatsApp or reset that phone, so do not wipe it until you have checked the new Android phone carefully.
If your Android phone is already set up and you cannot reset it, the cable method is not available, so your best fallback is to restore a recent cloud backup if one exists, or to export individual chats for safekeeping as described below.
What Transfers and What Does Not
Most of what matters in WhatsApp moves with the official methods, but a few items do not, and knowing the difference in advance prevents unpleasant surprises after the switch.
| Item | Transfers |
|---|---|
| Individual and group chats | Yes |
| Photos, videos, voice notes, and documents | Yes |
| Account information and settings | Yes |
| Profile photo | Yes |
| Call history | No — call logs do not transfer with chat migration |
| Display name | Yes, if the same number and account are used |
| WhatsApp payment history | No — payment history does not transfer |
| Chat backups on the old platform | No — Google Drive and iCloud backups are not interchangeable |
Your contacts themselves are not stored by WhatsApp, because they come from your phone address book, so make sure your contacts are synced to your Google or Apple account before you switch phones.
Starred messages travel inside their chats, so they will still be starred on the new phone, but you should still check a few important starred messages after the move to be sure.
Disappearing messages that have already expired will not reappear, and messages in chats you deleted on the old phone will not be restored, because the transfer only moves what still exists at transfer time.
Troubleshooting a Transfer That Fails or Stalls
If the transfer stalls, start with the simplest causes first, because a weak Wi-Fi signal, a low battery, or a phone that went to sleep is more likely than a broken app.
Move both phones closer together, plug them into power, turn off any VPN, and make sure neither phone is running a battery saver mode that pauses WhatsApp in the background.
If WhatsApp on the new phone does not find a backup, check that you signed in with the same phone number and the same Google or Apple account, because a different account will show a different backup, or none at all.
Also check that the backup actually finished on the old phone, because a backup that was interrupted by a storage limit or a network drop will not appear as a complete restore option.
If Move to iOS cannot see the iPhone, restart both phones, confirm the iPhone is still on the transfer screen, and enter the code again, because codes expire and a fresh code often fixes the connection.
If a cable transfer fails, try a different cable and a different USB port if one is available, because many cables only charge and do not carry data, and a charge-only cable will never complete a transfer.
If the transfer completes but some media is missing, stay on Wi-Fi and give the phone more time, because large videos and high-resolution photos download after the text chats and can take hours on a slow connection.
When media still does not appear after a full day on Wi-Fi, check the storage on the new phone, because a full phone will silently stop media downloads even though the chats themselves look complete.
As a last resort, if the official transfer cannot be repeated because the new phone is already set up, you can still save individual chats by exporting them, although exported chats cannot be imported back into WhatsApp.
To export a chat, open it, tap More or the contact name, choose Export Chat, and decide whether to include media, then send the resulting file to yourself by email or save it to cloud storage for reference.
After the Move: Checks Worth Doing
Once the transfer finishes, do not rush to wipe the old phone, because a few minutes of checking now can save you from losing chats that are hard to recover later.
Open your most important personal chats, family groups, and work conversations, scroll back through older messages, and confirm that the history you expected is actually present.
Check a sample of photos, videos, voice notes, and documents in different chats, because media problems are easier to spot early, while the old phone still holds the originals.
Next, set up a fresh backup on the new phone right away, so your transferred chats are protected by the new platform from this point forward.
On Android, go to Settings, then Chats, then Chat Backup, and confirm Google Drive backup is turned on, while on iPhone the same screen should show iCloud backup turned on.
Finally, review your linked devices under Settings, then Linked Devices, and remove anything you no longer use, because a new phone is a good moment to clean up old sessions.
Only after those checks pass should you sign out of WhatsApp on the old phone, delete the app, or factory reset the old device for sale, trade-in, or recycling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer WhatsApp chats if I change my phone number at the same time?
Yes, but change the number on the old phone first, using WhatsApp Settings, then Account, then Change Number, and then start the transfer with the new number already in place.
Do I need to pay for a transfer app? No, because all of the methods in this guide use free official tools from WhatsApp, Apple, and Google, and paid third-party tools are not supported by WhatsApp for this process.
Will my chats transfer if my old phone is broken? Only if you made a cloud backup before the phone broke, because a direct transfer needs both phones working, while a Google Drive or iCloud restore only needs the new phone and your account.
How long does a WhatsApp transfer take? Small chat histories can finish in minutes, while large histories with many videos can take an hour or more, and media downloads may continue in the background after the chats appear.
Can I transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone after the iPhone is already set up? Not with the official method, because Move to iOS requires a new or factory-reset iPhone, so you would need to erase the iPhone or use a cloud backup from the same platform instead.
What happens to WhatsApp on my old phone after a transfer? Your account moves to the new phone, but your old data stays on the old device until you delete WhatsApp or wipe the phone, so keep it until you have verified the new phone.
Moving WhatsApp chats to a new phone takes a little preparation, but the official methods handle almost all of the work once you choose the route that matches your old and new phones.
Back up first, use the same number, keep both phones charged and close together, and check your most important chats before wiping the old device, and your conversations should arrive intact on your new phone.