How to transfer your WhatsApp chat history to a new phone

The first question after buying a new phone is usually the same: "will my old WhatsApp conversations come across?" They will — but not on their own. There is one job you have to do while the old phone is still in your hands. Skip the backup or the transfer, open WhatsApp on the new phone, and your chats start empty with no easy way back.

This guide separates the three scenarios: Android to Android, iPhone to iPhone, and changing platforms (Android to iPhone or back). One condition is shared by all of them: the same phone number. The steps were verified against the WhatsApp Help Center plus Google and Apple support pages; menu names may differ slightly depending on your app version.

1. 1. Before touching anything else, back up on the old phone This is the one non-negotiable step. WhatsApp does not keep your chat history on its servers; its own wording is clear: "we can't restore your chats for you because your chat history isn't stored on our servers." So if there is no backup and you never ran a transfer from the old phone, WhatsApp on the new phone starts from scratch and the old conversations are gone. Make a manual backup on the old phone before you set up the new one — don't settle for "it backed up automatically last night," because any message that arrived after the last backup cannot be restored.
2. 2. Work out which scenario you are in There are three routes and people constantly mix up their steps. Android to Android gives you two options: a Google Account backup, or a direct phone-to-phone "Transfer chats" flow using a QR code. iPhone to iPhone gives you an iCloud backup or, again, a direct QR-code transfer. If you are changing platforms (Android to iPhone or back), a cloud backup is no help at all — you have to use WhatsApp's official migration flow, and the new phone must not have been set up yet. Follow only the steps below that match your own scenario.
3. 3. [Android to Android] Create the Google Account backup and check its date On the old Android phone open WhatsApp and go to the three-dot menu → <strong>Settings → Chats → Chat backup</strong>. Tap <strong>Back up to your Google Account</strong> and pick the Google Account the backup should go to; if no account is connected, tap <strong>Add account</strong>. Set the backup schedule to something like <strong>Daily</strong> — if it is set to "Never" or "Only when I tap Back up," no automatic backup is created. If you want videos to come across, make sure <strong>Include videos in chats</strong> is on; otherwise videos will not be restored. Then tap <strong>Back up</strong> and wait for it to finish: information about your latest backup appears on the same screen. If you want to verify independently that the backup really exists, open the Google One app, sign in with your Google account and go to <strong>Storage → Other</strong> — if your chats are backed up, WhatsApp is listed there.
4. 4. [Android to Android] Restore on the new phone, or transfer directly with a QR code <strong>Restoring from a backup:</strong> move the SIM to the new phone, install WhatsApp from the Play Store, verify your number and tap <strong>Restore</strong> when prompted. Careful: the restore option only appears during initial setup — there is no "Restore" button inside WhatsApp's settings, so if you skip it you have to uninstall and reinstall the app. <strong>Direct transfer with no cloud backup:</strong> if you have both phones with you, on the old phone go to the three-dot menu → <strong>Settings → Chats → Transfer chats → Start</strong>. On the new phone install WhatsApp, tap <strong>Agree and continue</strong>, verify your number, choose <strong>Transfer from old phone</strong> under "Restore or transfer chats," tap <strong>Continue → Start</strong> and allow access to nearby Wi-Fi devices. Scan the QR code shown on the new phone using the old phone's camera, then tap <strong>Accept</strong> on the new phone. This method needs Android 6 or above on both phones, the phones close together and connected to power, Wi-Fi enabled on both (they do not have to be on the same network), and the new phone must not be registered on WhatsApp before you start. Keep both phones unlocked and stay inside WhatsApp while it runs; messaging is paused during the transfer.
5. 5. [iPhone to iPhone] Create the iCloud backup and check its date An iPhone has two separate backups: WhatsApp's own in-app iCloud backup, and the iPhone's own iCloud backup. For chat history the in-app one is enough. On the old iPhone open WhatsApp, tap <strong>Settings</strong> (or your profile picture) and go to <strong>Chats → Chat backup</strong>. Use <strong>Auto backup</strong> to choose the frequency, decide on the <strong>Include videos in chats</strong> toggle, then tap <strong>Back up now</strong>. The same screen shows <strong>the time and size of your last backup</strong> — the easiest verification point in this whole guide. Requirements: use the same phone number and iCloud account the backup was created on, keep iOS updated, and have iCloud and iPhone storage at least 2.05 times the size of your backup. If you also want the iPhone's own backup, Apple's path is <strong>Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now</strong>; the date and time of the last backup is shown under that button. Note: if you use WhatsApp's end-to-end encrypted backup, you cannot use the iPhone device backup at the same time.
6. 6. [iPhone to iPhone] Restore on the new iPhone, or transfer directly <strong>Restoring from a backup:</strong> put the same number in the new iPhone, install WhatsApp from the App Store, verify your phone number and Apple ID, then tap <strong>Restore Chat History</strong>. <strong>Direct transfer:</strong> on the old iPhone tap your profile picture → <strong>Chats → Transfer Chats to iPhone → Start</strong>, and allow camera access if asked. On the new iPhone open WhatsApp, tap <strong>Agree & continue</strong>, verify your number, tap <strong>Continue</strong> on the "Transfer chat history to iPhone" screen and accept local network permissions. Scan the QR code on the new phone using the WhatsApp camera on the old one. This needs the latest iOS and the latest WhatsApp on both iPhones, the same phone number, the phones near each other, connected to power, on Wi-Fi, with local network permissions granted; the new iPhone must not be registered on WhatsApp before you start. When you see <strong>Transfer completed</strong>, tap <strong>Next</strong> and enter your name.
7. 7. [Android to iPhone] The official route: Move to iOS A cloud backup is useless here; WhatsApp's official route is the <strong>Move to iOS</strong> app installed on the Android phone. The requirements are strict: the iPhone must be <strong>factory new or already factory reset</strong> (if you have already set up and used the iPhone, this transfer is not available to you), Android 5 or above, iOS 15.5 or above, the latest WhatsApp on both phones, the same phone number, both devices connected to power, and both on the same Wi-Fi network (or connect the Android to the iPhone's hotspot). The flow: open Move to iOS on Android and follow the prompts, enter the code shown on the iPhone when asked, tap <strong>Continue</strong>, select <strong>WhatsApp</strong> on the Transfer Data screen, tap <strong>Start</strong> on the Android phone and wait while the data is prepared. You get signed out of WhatsApp on Android once the data is ready. Tap <strong>Next</strong> to return to Move to iOS, then <strong>Continue</strong> to complete the transfer. Then install WhatsApp from the App Store on the iPhone, log in with <strong>the same phone number</strong>, tap <strong>Start</strong> when prompted and let it finish. <strong>What does not come across — only what the official page lists:</strong> your call history, your display name and media received over WhatsApp Channels are not transferred; peer-to-peer payment messages are not transferred either. What does come across: account info, profile photo, individual and group chats, communities, chat history, media and settings. Third-party data transfer apps are not supported and will cause problems.
8. 8. [iPhone to Android] Transfer over a cable For the opposite direction Google's official instructions are cable-based: during the new Android phone's initial setup you connect the two phones with the old iPhone's charging cable. You need a Google Account to download WhatsApp and run the transfer, both phones must use the same phone number, and most importantly you must do the transfer <strong>before you start using WhatsApp on the new phone</strong>, otherwise new messages overwrite the old ones. If you scanned a QR code during setup, on Android go to <strong>Settings → Accounts & backup → Android Switch → Transfer WhatsApp Chats</strong>, tap <strong>Trust</strong> on the iPhone, enter your passcode and scan the QR code with the iPhone's camera. If you copied data during setup but did not scan a QR code, you can start from the iPhone instead: WhatsApp → <strong>Settings → Chats → Transfer chat history → Transfer to Android</strong>. Menu names vary by phone brand (on Samsung it may appear as "Android Switch" or "Smart Switch") — look for the transfer item under "Accounts & backup" on your own device.
9. 9. End-to-end encrypted backup and the 64-digit key: do not lose the password Your cloud backup is not protected by WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption unless you turn it on. If you want that protection, go to <strong>Settings → Chats → Chat backup → End-to-end encrypted backup</strong>, tap <strong>Turn on</strong> and create a passkey, or use "More options" to create your own password or use the <strong>64-digit encryption key</strong> WhatsApp generates. Passkeys need Android 9 or above, an up-to-date Google Mobile Services, and a screen lock (PIN, password or pattern) on the device. ⚠ This step has a price: if you do not have your password, key or passkey, <strong>you cannot access your backup</strong>. In WhatsApp's own words, it cannot send you a copy, reset it, or restore your backup for you. You get five attempts in total to enter the password; after five wrong tries you have to wait before trying again. The good news: as long as you can still get into WhatsApp you can change the password even if you have forgotten the old one — <strong>End-to-end encrypted backup → Change password → I forgot my password</strong>. Do this before you part with the old phone.
10. 10. If your number is changing, change it on the old phone first — then verify the result Every method shares one condition: the same phone number. A cloud backup is tied to the number it was created with. If your number is changing and you also want your history, the order is: <strong>change the number on the old phone first</strong>, <strong>then</strong> create a fresh backup with the new number, and only then move to the new phone. Register the new number straight onto the new phone and you lose your chat history. On Android the path is <strong>Settings → Account → Change number → Next</strong>, entering both numbers in full international format. Put the new SIM in the old phone and do it there. Once the move is done, open a few old and recent chats on the new phone and check media and groups; only after you have actually seen them should you delete WhatsApp, reset data, or part with the old phone. If a transfer stalls or errors out, your data is still sitting on the old phone. If you are selling or giving away the old phone, wiping all of its data (including the SD card, if any) is the final step.

⚠ This guide is general information. Yudum cannot be held responsible for the outcome of following it; for official procedures always rely on the institution's own statement. Steps and fees change over time.

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