How to Transfer WhatsApp to a New Phone Without Losing Chats

You just unboxed a new phone and the one app you cannot afford to lose is WhatsApp. Years of family chats, voice notes and photos live there. The good news: learning how to transfer WhatsApp to a new phone needs no paid software, and the time it takes depends mostly on how much media you have. This guide is for anyone switching from Android to Android, iPhone to iPhone, or crossing between the two. The method you pick depends on which phones you have, so find your situation below and follow only that section.

Before you start the WhatsApp move

A few minutes of prep prevents most failed transfers.

• Keep your phone number. WhatsApp ties your account to your number, and every method below expects you to verify the same number on the new phone. If you are changing numbers too, finish the transfer first.
• Charge both phones and keep them plugged in if you can. Apple and Google both tell people to keep devices on power during a transfer.
• Join the same Wi-Fi network on both phones for the QR code method.
• Know your two step verification PIN. If you set one in WhatsApp, you will be asked for it on the new phone. Android Authority warns that forgetting it can lock you out of your backup.
• Have a cable ready for iPhone to Android moves: USB-C to Lightning for older iPhones, or USB-C to USB-C for newer ones.
• Do not wipe the old phone yet. Keep it until you have confirmed your chats arrived.

Same platform: move chats with a QR code

WhatsApp added a direct transfer between phones running the same operating system in 2023. It sends your full chat history over your local Wi-Fi with no cloud backup needed. It does not work across platforms, so skip to the cross platform sections if you are switching between iPhone and Android.

Android to Android

1. Install WhatsApp on the new phone, open it and verify the same phone number.
2. When the app offers to transfer from your old phone, choose that option. A QR code appears.
3. On the old phone, open WhatsApp, tap the three dot menu, then go to Settings > Chats > Transfer chats and tap Start.
4. Allow the permissions WhatsApp asks for, then scan the QR code on the new phone with the old one.
5. Accept the prompt to pair the phones, keep both screens on, and wait for the progress bar to finish.
6. Tap Done on the new phone and open a few chats to check that recent messages and media are there.

iPhone to iPhone

1. On the old iPhone, open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Chats > Transfer Chats to iPhone, then tap Start. A QR code appears.
2. On the new iPhone, install WhatsApp and verify the same number.
3. Scan the QR code with the new iPhone's camera when prompted, then tap Continue to accept.
4. Leave both phones side by side until the transfer finishes, then tap Next.

If you are setting up the new iPhone from scratch, Apple's Quick Start can copy apps and data in one pass. Our guide to setting up a new iPhone from your old one walks through that process.

Same platform: restore from a cloud backup

The older backup and restore route still works and is handy if the old phone is broken, lost or in another room.

Android with a Google account backup

1. On the old phone, go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
2. Pick the Google account to use, choose whether to include videos, and tap Back up. You can also turn on end to end encrypted backup here if you want the file protected.
3. On the new phone, sign in to the same Google account, install WhatsApp from Google Play and verify your number.
4. When WhatsApp finds the backup, tap Restore and wait for it to finish.

iPhone with an iCloud backup

1. Make sure you are signed in to iCloud on the old iPhone.
2. In WhatsApp, go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and tap Back Up Now.
3. On the new iPhone, sign in with the same Apple Account, install WhatsApp and verify the same number.
4. Tap Restore Chat History when it appears.

That restore prompt only shows up during first setup. If you skipped it, delete WhatsApp, reinstall it and verify your number again.

Cross platform: Android to iPhone

You cannot restore an Android Google backup onto an iPhone. The supported path is Apple's free Move to iOS app, and it only works while the iPhone is in initial setup. Apple Support lists WhatsApp messages and media among the content it can carry over.

1. Turn on Wi-Fi on the Android phone and plug both phones into power.
2. On the new iPhone, go through setup until the Quick Start screen, then tap Set Up Without Another Apple Device.
3. On the Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, tap From Android.
4. Open Move to iOS on the Android phone (get it from Google Play) and enter the code the iPhone shows. The iPhone creates a temporary Wi-Fi network for the Android phone to join.
5. Choose WhatsApp among the content to move, and follow any prompts WhatsApp shows on the Android phone.
6. Leave both phones alone until the iPhone's loading bar finishes. Apple notes that if the Android phone switches apps or takes a call, content will not transfer.
7. Install WhatsApp on the iPhone, verify the same number and let it import your chats.

Already finished iPhone setup? Apple says you would need to erase the iPhone and start again to use this method. For your photos, contacts and calendars, see our full Android to iPhone transfer guide.

Cross platform: iPhone to Android

This move also happens during the new Android phone's first setup, and you need a cable. Google announced the feature in a Google blog post, which said phones need Android 12 or later. Samsung phones handle it through Smart Switch, and Android Authority reports Samsung models can do it from Android 10.

1. Start setting up the new Android phone. When it offers to copy apps and data, choose to copy rather than skip.
2. Connect the iPhone with a cable and tap Trust on the iPhone when asked.
3. When the Android phone shows a QR code, scan it with the iPhone camera. WhatsApp opens on the iPhone.
4. Tap Start in WhatsApp on the iPhone and wait for the export to finish.
5. Complete setup, open WhatsApp on the Android phone and verify the same number. Your chats then import.

Android Authority notes that call history does not carry over in this direction. Google's post says the data is copied, so the iPhone keeps its own copy. Our iPhone to Android transfer guide covers the rest of your data.

When the WhatsApp transfer does not work

Most failures come down to one of a few causes.

• No restore or transfer option appeared. You probably verified a different number, or the backup sits in a different Google account or Apple Account. Uninstall, reinstall and check both.
• The QR transfer stalls. Confirm both phones are on the same Wi-Fi network, keep both screens awake, and update WhatsApp on both phones from the app store.
• Cross platform option is missing. Both methods only run during first setup. Reset the new phone and start again, which is safe because nothing has been added yet.
• Backup will not open. Enter your two step verification PIN, or the password or key you chose if you encrypted the backup. Without it the backup cannot be read.
• Not enough storage. Clear space on the new phone, or turn off video in the backup to shrink it.

If you still get stuck, WhatsApp's own help center at faq.whatsapp.com has current pages for each method. Once everything checks out, sign out of WhatsApp on the old phone before you sell or trade it in. More phone guides live in our Gadgets section.