WhatsApp Tips: How to Transfer Your Chat Backup from iPhone to Android

WhatsApp users need to export chat files on mail and then download them on their Android phones.

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 11 July 2021 09:45 IST

WhatsApp Tips: How to Transfer Your Chat Backup from iPhone to Android

WhatsApp users can only export one chat at a time on mail

Highlights

WhatsApp does not allow moving chat history natively
User can export individual chats on mail and then restore
These chats can be restored during the setup process on Android

WhatsApp users often face a lot of trouble while switching phones, especially when switching between operating systems. The social media platform is reportedly working on a solution to ease that process, but, until then, there are workarounds that users will have to make do with. At the moment, WhatsApp allows users to keep their account information including profile photo, name, about, individual chats, group chats, and settings when switching to a different operating system, such as from iPhone to Android. But, it doesn't allow for moving chat history. However, chat history is very important to most users, especially those who use it for business conversations.

If you're switching from iPhone to Android, WhatsApp users can use the method mentioned below to back up their chats and transfer them.

How to transfer your chat backup on WhatsApp from iPhone to Android

When switching from iPhone to Android, there is no native option to transfer chat history within the app. This is primarily because WhatsApp for iOS stores backups on iCloud for iPhone users, whereas WhatsApp for Android has backups on Google Drive. However, users can export their entire chat history via mail and then restore it on their new device. Each chat needs to be exported individually, and, therefore, it is a cumbersome process. But one that does guarantee restoring chats. It is recommended that you select which chats are important and just export those chats and leave the ones that aren't as important. Here are the steps to move WhatsApp chat history from iPhone to Android.

Open the WhatsApp app on your iPhone and swipe left on the chat that you wish to export.
Tap on More in the menu that appears. Select the Export Chat option.
From the Share menu, choose the Mail option. The mailbox will appear with the chat file attached already.
Enter the email address that you will have access to when on your Android phone. Tap Send.
Get on your Android phone and open the email. Download the chat file attached in the mail. This process needs to be done for each chat that you need to transfer from your iPhone to Android. You'll most likely end up with several emails, depending on the number of chats you export.
If you have already installed WhatsApp on your Android phone, delete it and reinstall once again. Finish the setup process and when the option to restore comes up, select the Restore option to complete the setup. Click on Next.
All of your exported chats should appear on your Android phone.

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