How to Transfer WhatsApp Messages to a New Phone

Transferring WhatsApp Messages to a New Android

Make sure Google Drive is installed on your old phone. Anyone with an Android phone will have a Google account and access to Google Drive by default, but make sure to download the app to your phone for this process. To learn how to get Google Drive, see How to Get Google Drive for Android.

Open WhatsApp. The WhatsApp icon has a green background with a white phone and conversation bubble on it.

Tap on the three dots ⋮. It's at the top-right corner of the screen. A menu will expand.

Tap on Settings. This will be the bottom option on the menu that popped up.

Select Chats. Your "Settings" will have your name at the top and a list of options beneath it. Chats will be second on the list, just to the right of a chat message icon.

Tap Chat backup. This page will have a section titled "Chat settings". Chat backup will be near the bottom of this section.

Tap on the green Back Up button. This backs up your messages to Google Drive. This process can take several minutes if you have a lot of messages. If you wish to have WhatsApp automatically create backups of your messages, tap the Back up to Google Drive option. This will present you with an option for how often you would like automatic backups to occur.

Install and open WhatsApp on your new phone. If you have your new phone handy, this can be done as soon as the backup is created.

Verify your phone number. When you open WhatsApp, you will be asked to verify your phone number. This will require you to simply type in your phone number, and WhatsApp will send a text message to your phone’s default messaging app. Use that message to confirm your phone number.

Click Restore. After your number is verified, WhatsApp will prompt you with a message saying "Backup found". Tap on the green Restore button to restore all of your old messages.

Tap Next. Once your backup has been restored, you’ll see a confirmation message and a Next button. Tap on this button to finish the process, and you’ll see all of your old conversations on your new phone.

Transferring WhatsApp Messages to a New iPhone

Open Settings iPhone Settings App Icon on your old iPhone. Your Settings app has a gray background with darker gray gear icons on it.

Tap your name at the top of the page. Your name will be at the top of the main Settings page.

Tap on iCloud. Your name will once again be at the top of the page. iCloud can be found about halfway down the screen, next to the icon of a blue cloud.

Toggle on iPhone Switch On Icon iCloud Drive. You’ll now be on a page that lists all of your apps using iCloud. Scroll down until you see iCloud Drive. If this option isn’t toggled on, tap on it to turn it on now.

Scroll down and toggle on iPhone Switch On Icon WhatsApp. Beneath iCloud Drive will be a list of all your apps that back up their data to iCloud. Scroll down until you see WhatsApp and tap on the toggle to turn it on. If WhatsApp is already toggled on, leave it as is.

Open WhatsApp. Return to your home screen and find WhatsApp. It will have a green icon with a phone and a message bubble on it. Tap on it to open it when you find it.

Tap on the Settings tab. In the bottom right corner of the app, you’ll see a tab titled Settings with a gear icon above it. Tap on this to continue.

Tap on Chats. Your "Settings" page will have your name at the top of the page. About halfway down the page, you’ll see Chats which is accompanied by a green icon with a phone and message bubble around it.

Select Chat Backup from the list of chat options.

Tap Back Up Now. You’ll now be on a page detailing your WhatsApp chat backup history. About halfway down the page, you’ll see Back Up Now in blue letters. Tapping on this will cause WhatsApp to start backing up your messages to your iCloud.

Sign in to your Apple ID on the new iPhone. Once the backup is completed, you’ll want to move over to the new device.

Install and open WhatsApp on your new iPhone. Find WhatsApp in the App Store and download it.

Verify your phone number. When you open WhatsApp, you will be asked to verify your phone number. This will require you to simply type in your phone number, and WhatsApp will send a text message to your iPhone’s default messaging app. Use that message to confirm your phone number.

Click Restore. After your number is verified, WhatsApp will prompt you with a message saying "Backup found". Tap on the Restore button to restore all of your old messages. This may take some time depending on how large the backup is.