How to Transfer WhatsApp Chats to a New Phone

Switching to a new phone is exciting, but the thought of losing your WhatsApp message history can be stressful. This guide walks you through the official, reliable methods to move your chats, media, and even call history to your new device—without losing anything. You’ll need your old phone, your new phone, a charger for both, and a stable Wi-Fi connection.

What You’ll Need

Your old phone with WhatsApp installed and logged in.
Your new phone with WhatsApp installed (but not yet opened/set up).
A Wi-Fi connection on both devices (a cable is used for some Android-to-Android transfers).
Both phones charged to at least 50% and plugged in if possible.
For iPhone-to-iPhone: your iCloud account with enough storage and iCloud Drive enabled.
For Android-to-Android: a USB-C to USB-C or Lightning to USB-C cable (optional but recommended).
For cross-platform (Android ↔ iPhone): the “Move to iOS” app on Android, or the “Switch to Android” app on iPhone, plus a cable.

Step-by-Step

iPhone to iPhone (iCloud Backup)

Back up your old iPhone. Open WhatsApp on your old iPhone, go to Settings (gear icon) → Chats → Chat Backup. Tap Back Up Now. Wait until it finishes—do not close the app.
Verify the backup. Check the date and time of the last backup on that same screen. It should show “Today” or just a few minutes ago.
Set up your new iPhone. Turn on the new iPhone and follow the setup wizard. When asked about apps & data, choose Restore from iCloud Backup and select the most recent backup. (Alternatively, use Quick Start to transfer everything.)
Install WhatsApp. After the iPhone setup completes, download WhatsApp from the App Store.
Verify your number. Open WhatsApp, accept the terms, and verify your phone number with the SMS code.
Restore chats. WhatsApp will detect the iCloud backup and prompt you to restore. Tap Restore and wait. Do not close the app during this process.

Android to Android (Local Backup + Cable)

Back up on your old Android. Open WhatsApp → ⋮ menu → Settings → Chats → Chat backup. Tap Back up and wait for it to finish.
Connect the phones. Plug a USB-C to USB-C cable into both phones. On the new phone, allow USB debugging/file transfer if prompted.
Install WhatsApp on the new phone. Open WhatsApp, accept terms, and verify your number.
Transfer the backup. When WhatsApp asks if you want to restore from a local backup, tap Restore. It will find the backup file on the old phone via the cable and copy it.
Wait for completion. The restore can take several minutes. Keep both phones awake and connected.

Android to Android (Google Drive Backup)

Back up to Google Drive. On your old phone: WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → Chats → Chat backup. Ensure your Google account is selected, then tap Back up.
Set up the new phone. Sign in to the same Google account on the new Android phone.
Install and verify. Install WhatsApp, open it, and verify your number.
Restore from Drive. WhatsApp will prompt you to restore from Google Drive. Tap Restore and wait.

Android to iPhone (Move to iOS)

Back up on Android. Open WhatsApp → ⋮ → Settings → Chats → Chat backup → Back up. (This creates a local backup.)
Start iPhone setup. During iPhone setup, choose Move Data from Android. Install and open the Move to iOS app on your Android phone.
Enter the code. On the iPhone, tap Continue and enter the 6- or 10-digit code shown on the Android phone.
Select WhatsApp. On the Android phone, check the WhatsApp option (and any other data you want). Tap Next.
Wait for transfer. Keep both phones plugged in and close together until the transfer completes.
Finish iPhone setup. After setup, install WhatsApp from the App Store and open it. Verify your number, and the chats will appear.

iPhone to Android (Switch to Android)

Back up on iPhone. WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Chat Backup → Back Up Now.
Start Android setup. During Android setup, choose Copy data from iPhone. Install the Switch to Android app on the iPhone.
Scan the QR code. Open the app on iPhone and scan the QR code shown on the Android phone.
Connect and transfer. Connect both phones with a cable (or Wi-Fi) and select WhatsApp on the iPhone app.
Install WhatsApp on Android. After transfer, install WhatsApp, verify your number, and the chats should be restored.

Common Mistakes

Skipping the backup step. Always manually trigger a backup right before switching. Automatic backups may be days old.
Opening WhatsApp on the new phone before the transfer. This can create a blank account and overwrite the restore prompt.
Using a different phone number. WhatsApp restores chats only to the same phone number.
Running out of storage. iCloud or Google Drive needs enough free space for the backup. Check before starting.
Disconnecting mid-restore. Do not close WhatsApp, turn off Wi-Fi, or unplug the cable until the restore completes.
Ignoring the “Restore” prompt. If you tap “Skip” or “Not Now,” you may lose the backup prompt permanently.

Tips

Use a cable for Android-to-Android. It’s faster and more reliable than Wi-Fi, especially for large backups.
Keep both phones plugged in. Transfers drain battery quickly.
Check backup settings. On Android, you can set Google Drive backup to “Only when connected to Wi-Fi” to avoid data charges.
For iPhone users, enable iCloud Drive. Go to Settings → Your Name → iCloud → iCloud Drive and make sure it’s on.
Do a test restore. If you’re nervous, back up, then restore to the same phone (using a second number) to confirm the backup works.
Update WhatsApp first. Make sure both phones run the latest version of WhatsApp from the app store.

Troubleshooting

Restore stuck at 0% or slow. Check your Wi-Fi signal. Try turning off mobile data on both phones. For Android-to-Android with a cable, unplug and replug the cable.
“No backup found” error. Go back to the old phone, open WhatsApp, and manually back up again. Ensure you’re signed into the same iCloud/Google account on both devices.
Chats restored but media missing. This can happen if the backup was made with “Include Videos” off. You can’t recover that media retroactively, but new media will be saved.
Restore completes but chats are old. You likely restored an older backup. Check the backup date on the old phone; if it’s old, re-backup and try again.
Move to iOS fails mid-transfer. Restart both phones, disable Wi-Fi on the Android, and re-run the process. Ensure both are plugged in.
WhatsApp asks for a new number. You must use the same phone number as the old phone. If you’ve changed numbers, you cannot transfer chat history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I transfer chats without a backup?
A: No. WhatsApp requires a backup (local, iCloud, or Google Drive) to move chat history. The only exception is the direct cable transfer between two Android phones, which still uses a local backup file.

Q: How long does a transfer take?
A: It depends on the size of your chat history. A small backup (under 1 GB) may take 5–10 minutes; a large one (10+ GB) can take over an hour. Keep both phones plugged in.

Q: Will my groups and group memberships transfer?
A: Yes, all group chats, memberships, and group settings are included in the backup and restore.

Q: What about my starred messages and chat wallpapers?
A: Starred messages are restored. Chat wallpapers are stored locally and may need to be re-set manually on the new phone.

Q: Can I transfer chats from Android to iPhone without Move to iOS?
A: No. The official method requires the Move to iOS app during iPhone setup. There is no other supported way for a full transfer.

Q: What happens to my old phone’s chats after the transfer?
A: Nothing. The old phone keeps its chats. The backup is copied, not moved. You can continue using the old phone or delete the app later.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

More in this bed

The whole Tech How-To bed →