Meta finally unlocks easy WhatsApp chat history transfer between iOS and Android

Meta finally unlocks easy WhatsApp chat history transfer between iOS and Android

WhatsApp's users wanting to transfer their chat history from an Apple iPhone to an Android smartphone, and vice versa, will finally be able to do so. Meta, the instant-messaging app’s parent company, has removed any and all remaining hurdles or limitations that have hindered the process in the past.

The majority of Android smartphone users who owned a Samsung-branded device had the ability to pull all their WhatsApp data from an iPhone. But the facility is now available to Android smartphones made by other companies.

WhatsApp posted a Tweet from its official Twitter handle confirming the ability to transfer chat history from an Apple iPhone to an Android smartphone, and vice versa. The app is promising users “the freedom to switch to and from your preferred devices.”:

Transferring an entire WhatsApp chat history has never been an easy or straightforward process. Similarly, moving other personal information from an iPhone to an Android smartphone wasn’t simple, either. However, Apple has a Move to iOS app on the Google Play Store, and Google has a Switch to Android app on the Apple App Store.

WhatsApp is relying heavily on the Move to iOS app to transfer the chat history from an Android smartphone to an iPhone. The process involves downloading the app on the Android smartphone and then following the on-screen instructions that appear on the source and destination devices. Once the data has been transferred, users can open WhatsApp on the target iPhone and log in using the same phone number they used on the Android device.

It is important to note that the Move to iOS app will be able to move only personal messages. It won’t be able to transfer peer-to-peer payment messages. Additionally, the transferred data does not immediately go to or via any cloud storage.

WhatsApp hasn’t yet offered the procedure to shift chat history from an iPhone to an Android device. Google recently updated the Switch to Android app, and the same is available on the Apple App Store. Hence, it is quite possible that the procedure to shift WhatsApp chat history from an iPhone to an Android smartphone won’t be significantly different. But the device would have to be running Android 12 or above.