Transfer WhatsApp Chats to a New Phone: Android & iPhone

Updated: 8 November 2026. Steps checked against WhatsApp Help Center pages on changing phones, account transfer, chat transfer on Android and on iPhone, Android to iPhone, iPhone to Android, backups, restoring, changing your number and the three troubleshooting pages linked below, plus Apple's Move from Android to iPhone and Google's Transfer WhatsApp data to a new Android.

Short answer: to transfer WhatsApp chats to a new phone, keep the old phone working, use the same phone number, and do not set up WhatsApp on the new phone until the transfer starts. Between two Android phones or two iPhones, scan a QR code from the old phone. For Android to iPhone, use Apple's Move to iOS app while you set up the iPhone. For iPhone to Android, use Chats > Transfer chat history > Transfer to Android in WhatsApp on the iPhone.

Almost every lost chat history I read about comes down to one of three mistakes, and none of them is a bug. Someone registers WhatsApp on the new phone "just to check," wipes the old phone too early, or switches to a new number before moving the chats. WhatsApp can't fix any of these for you because it doesn't keep your chats on its servers. So this guide runs in order: the checks first, then a backup, then the move for your exact pair of phones, then the clean-up.

If you are also moving your phone line, sort the SIM out first with my guide to transferring an eSIM between iPhone and Android. If the new iPhone is short on space, read how to free up iPhone storage without deleting photos before you start, because a half-full phone is a common reason a restore stops partway.

Jump to:

• Which method fits your move
• Step 1: Check these before you touch the new phone
• Step 2: Make a fresh backup on the old phone
• Step 3: Changing your number too? Do it on the old phone first
• Step 4: Move WhatsApp from Android to Android
• Step 5: Move WhatsApp from iPhone to iPhone
• Step 6: Move WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone
• Step 7: Move WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Android
• Step 8: Check everything, then clean up the old phone
• If the transfer fails or gets stuck
• FAQ

Which method fits your move

WhatsApp has different tools for each direction, and they don't all have the same rules. Find your row, then go to the step it points to.

Step 1: Check these before you touch the new phone

This is the step people skip and then regret. Run through the list with both phones on the desk in front of you.

• Same phone number. Every transfer method is tied to the number. WhatsApp's troubleshooting page is blunt about it: you can't transfer chats to a new phone number. If your number is changing, Step 3 comes first.
• Don't register WhatsApp on the new phone yet. For a phone-to-phone chat transfer, WhatsApp says the new phone "must not be registered on WhatsApp until you start the migration on your old phone." If you already set it up and started chatting, you will have to uninstall it on the new phone. Your old and new chats can't be merged.
• Keep the old phone alive and untouched. Don't delete data, reset the phone or uninstall WhatsApp on it until you have confirmed the chats arrived. WhatsApp repeats this on several pages because a failed transfer leaves everything on the old phone, but a reset doesn't.
• Power and Wi-Fi. Both phones should be plugged in. Android-to-Android transfers need Wi-Fi turned on, though the phones don't have to be connected to a network. iPhone-to-iPhone transfers need Wi-Fi with a working internet connection. Moves between Android and iPhone need both phones on the same Wi-Fi, or, for Android to iPhone, the Android phone joined to the iPhone's hotspot.
• Update WhatsApp on both phones. Moves between Android and iPhone need the latest WhatsApp from Google Play and the App Store. The iPhone-to-iPhone guide also wants the latest iOS on both phones.
• Storage on the new phone. Apple's Move to iOS page says your Android content has to fit on the new iPhone. WhatsApp's restore notes say the phone needs more free space than the backup you are restoring.
• WhatsApp Business is different. WhatsApp says chat transfer isn't currently possible on the WhatsApp Business app. That covers the QR chat transfer and both cross-platform moves. If you run a Business account, a backup and restore on the same platform is your route.
• No third-party transfer apps. WhatsApp says non-WhatsApp chat transfer apps "isn't supported and may cause loss of chats". Its unofficial apps page warns that modded clients such as GB WhatsApp can get your account banned. Paid "WhatsApp transfer" desktop tools aren't something I would hand my chat history to when the free official route works.

Two account details are worth knowing before you start. If two-step verification is on, you will need your password (WhatsApp is replacing the old 6-digit PIN with a password) or your email method to finish registering. WhatsApp may also send a notification to the old phone asking you to confirm the move, so keep it unlocked and nearby.

Step 2: Make a fresh backup on the old phone

A direct transfer doesn't need a backup. I would still make one, because it's your safety net if the transfer stalls, the old phone dies halfway or you tap the wrong button. WhatsApp itself recommends backing up before you uninstall or move devices.

On Android: open WhatsApp, then tap Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Back up. The backup goes to your Google Account, or to WhatsApp cloud storage if you have that option. WhatsApp calls cloud storage a new feature it is still testing, so you may not see it yet. Under Cloud backup you can choose WhatsApp or Google. Turn on Include videos in chats if you want videos back, because WhatsApp only restores videos when that switch was on for your latest backup. A Google backup needs a Google Account signed in on the phone, Google Play services and enough free Google storage.

On iPhone: tap your profile picture or Settings, then Chats > Chat backup > Back up now. For iCloud, check that iCloud Drive is on: iPhone Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Drive, with Sync this iPhone turned on and WhatsApp allowed under the apps syncing to iCloud Drive. WhatsApp also notes that if you pick its own cloud storage on iPhone, you can't make an iCloud backup at the same time.

Encryption. Under Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup, you can lock a Google or iCloud backup with a passkey, a password or a 64-digit key. WhatsApp cloud storage backups are always end-to-end encrypted. Write down whatever you choose. WhatsApp says your password or key is the only way into that backup, and nobody at WhatsApp can reset it for you.

Three backup rules to keep in mind. You get one backup per account, and each new one replaces the last. WhatsApp warns that a backup more than 120 days old may not restore. And if you are trying to recover chats that have already vanished, don't make a new backup, because it will overwrite the old one that still has them.

Step 3: Changing your number too? Do it on the old phone first

New phone and new number on the same day is where chat histories go to die. WhatsApp's rule is simple: change the number on the old phone, then move. If you register the new number directly on the new phone, WhatsApp says you lose your chat history.

1. Put the new SIM in the old phone, or make sure the new number can receive an SMS or call.
2. On Android, tap More options > Settings > Account > Change number > Next. On iPhone, tap Settings or your profile picture, then Account > Change Number > Next.
3. Enter the old number in the first field and the new one in the second, both in full international format, then tap Next.
4. Choose whether to notify contacts. Your groups are told about the change either way.
5. Tap Done and register the new number when prompted.

Then make a new backup (Step 2). WhatsApp ties cloud backups to the number they were made with, so a backup from the old number won't restore under the new one. Blocked contacts stay blocked after the change. Once the number is sorted, carry on with the step for your phones.

Step 4: Move WhatsApp from Android to Android

Android to Android has the most options. WhatsApp lists three: account transfer, Google Account backups and chat transfer. It calls account transfer "the most simple and best way" when you have both phones.

Option A: account transfer with a QR code (recommended)

1. On the new phone, install WhatsApp from Google Play and tap Agree & Continue.
2. Enter your phone number, tap Next and then Yes to confirm.
3. Connect to Wi-Fi if asked. WhatsApp then shows a QR code on the new phone.
4. Scan that code with the old phone's camera when WhatsApp prompts you. Don't close the app on either phone.
5. Follow the Start Transfer prompts, tap Done > OK, then tap Accept so the old phone can connect to the new one.

Your chats move across, and the old phone is logged out once registration finishes on the new one.

Option B: Transfer chats from the old phone's settings

This is the same chat transfer, started from the old phone. WhatsApp says it moves "all account information, including all of your personal messages, photos, videos, documents". It doesn't move peer-to-peer payment messages or media you received through Channels. Both phones need Android 6 or later. On Android 12 and older, the phone asks for precise location permission. WhatsApp says it doesn't collect that location.

1. On the old phone, open WhatsApp and tap More options > Settings > Chats > Transfer chats > Start. Accept the permissions.
2. On the new phone, install WhatsApp, tap Agree and continue, verify your number and accept permissions.
3. Under Restore or transfer chats, pick Transfer from old phone, then Continue > Start, and allow access to nearby Wi-Fi devices.
4. Scan the new phone's QR code with the old phone, then tap Accept on the new phone.
5. Keep both phones unlocked and inside WhatsApp while the percentage bar runs. Messaging pauses during the transfer, and you can cancel at any time.
6. When the import finishes, tap Next.

Option C: restore from your backup

Use this if the old phone is damaged or you would rather not run a live transfer. Sign the new phone into the same Google Account, install WhatsApp, verify the same number and tap Restore. Don't tap Skip. WhatsApp restores messages first and media in the background afterwards, so keep the phone on Wi-Fi and power until the photos catch up. Google's own help page offers the same choice when you set up a new Android: Transfer from old phone over Wi-Fi, or Restore from backup from the cloud. Google recommends the cloud option if your backup is up to date.

Step 5: Move WhatsApp from iPhone to iPhone

iPhone to iPhone works the same way, with Apple's permissions on top. WhatsApp again offers account transfer, an iCloud backup or chat transfer. One difference from Android: an iPhone-to-iPhone chat transfer doesn't carry over your WhatsApp call history.

Option A: account transfer with a QR code

1. On the new iPhone, install WhatsApp from the App Store, tap Agree & Continue, enter your number and tap Next > Continue.
2. Join Wi-Fi if asked, then scan the QR code on the new iPhone with the old one.
3. Follow the Start Transfer prompts and tap Done > OK. Complete two-step verification if it is on.

Option B: Transfer Chats to iPhone

1. Update iOS and WhatsApp on both iPhones.
2. On the old iPhone, open WhatsApp and tap your profile picture > Chats > Transfer Chats to iPhone > Start. Allow camera access if asked.
3. On the new iPhone, open WhatsApp, tap Agree & continue and verify your number.
4. Tap Continue on Transfer chat history to iPhone and accept the local network permission. If you deny it, the QR code never appears.
5. Scan the new iPhone's QR code using the WhatsApp camera on the old one, and accept local network access again if prompted.
6. Keep both phones close, unlocked and inside WhatsApp until you see Transfer completed, then tap Next and set up your profile.

Option C: restore from iCloud

Turn on iCloud Drive and Sync this iPhone on the new phone with the same Apple ID, install WhatsApp, verify the same number and tap Restore Chat History. Keep WhatsApp open until your chats appear. WhatsApp warns that if you tap Skip media restore, you can't get that media back later, because your next backup replaces the old one.

Don't count on a general phone-to-phone copy to carry your chats. Use WhatsApp's own transfer or an iCloud backup. WhatsApp says the only ways to move a backup to another iPhone are iCloud and WhatsApp cloud storage.

Step 6: Move WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone

This is the move with the strictest rule. It runs through Apple's Move to iOS app, and that only works while you set up a new iPhone or one you have just erased. If you already set up the iPhone and are using it, this transfer isn't available until you erase it. Erasing removes everything on the iPhone, not just WhatsApp, so plan this before the new iPhone becomes your daily phone.

WhatsApp's requirements: Android 5 or later, iOS 15.5 or later, the Move to iOS app on the Android phone, the latest WhatsApp on both, the same number, both phones on power, and both on the same Wi-Fi or the Android phone on the iPhone's hotspot. Apple adds that a USB-C cable between the two phones can make the transfer faster.

1. Install Move to iOS from Google Play on the Android phone. If you don't have it, the iPhone's setup screen shows a QR code that opens the Play Store listing.
2. Start setting up the iPhone. On the Quick Start screen, tap Set Up Without Another Apple Device. On Transfer Your Apps & Data, tap From Android, then Transfer with App.
3. Open Move to iOS on Android, agree to the terms and allow the permissions it asks for.
4. Type the six- or ten-digit code the iPhone shows into the Android phone, then join the temporary Wi-Fi network the iPhone creates.
5. On the Transfer Data screen, select WhatsApp along with anything else you want.
6. Tap Start in the WhatsApp prompt on Android and wait while WhatsApp prepares the export. You are signed out of WhatsApp on the Android phone at this point, which is expected.
7. Tap Next to go back to Move to iOS, then Continue. Leave both phones alone until the bar on the iPhone finishes. Apple says a phone call or switching apps on the Android phone can stop your content from transferring.
8. Install the latest WhatsApp from the App Store, log in with the same number, tap Start when prompted and let it finish.

What comes across: account info, profile photo, individual and group chats, communities, Channel updates, chat history, media and settings. What stays behind: call history, your display name, peer-to-peer payment messages and media received over Channels. WhatsApp also says that opening Files and picking the WhatsApp folder in Move to iOS isn't supported. Use the WhatsApp option on the Transfer Data screen.

Apple's page also describes a newer "Transfer without App" route for phones running a compatible build of Android 17. Apple lists photos, contacts, calendars, call history and messages for that route, but not WhatsApp. WhatsApp's own guide still names the Move to iOS app. For your chats, I would stick with the app.

Step 7: Move WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Android

Going the other way is now handled inside WhatsApp. It also carries more data than the Android-to-iPhone move. WhatsApp says call history comes across, along with account info, chats, groups, communities, Channel updates, media and settings. Your display name, status updates and Channel media don't.

1. Update WhatsApp on both phones. Keep the iPhone's chats intact; don't delete WhatsApp from it.
2. On the iPhone, open WhatsApp and go to Chats > Transfer chat history > Transfer to Android. When the chats are prepared, tap Continue, and allow camera access if asked.
3. Keep the iPhone unlocked for the whole transfer.
4. On the Android phone, open WhatsApp and verify the same number.
5. Tap Allow when asked to let the devices connect. A QR code appears.
6. Scan it with the iPhone camera, then tap Join to connect to the Wi-Fi network and start the transfer.
7. When it finishes, tap Next on Android and your chats are there.

One warning, because WhatsApp's own pages disagree. The how-to page asks only for Android 6 or above. The Can't move chats from an iPhone to an Android device page says the Android phone needs to be new or factory reset, running Android 10 or above, with iOS 15.5 or above on the iPhone. It says the transfer "runs as part of setting up a new device." So if the transfer option never appears on an Android phone you already set up, that's the likely reason. Some phones also hand this step to Samsung Smart Switch or Google's data restore tool during setup. WhatsApp says it can't fix crashes in those tools and sends you to Samsung or Google.

If the transfer finishes with "Something went wrong with your chat history," WhatsApp says the history is corrupted and can't be moved. "Could not import" may also mean corruption, but you can retry. If you can't scan the QR code, turn the Android screen to full brightness, clean the iPhone camera and take off any screen protector.

Step 8: Check everything, then clean up the old phone

When the new phone shows your chats, slow down before you wipe anything.

• Spot-check. Open your biggest group, an old one-to-one chat and a chat with lots of photos or voice notes. Media can keep loading in the background after a restore, so give it time on Wi-Fi and power.
• Back up on the new phone. Transferred chats aren't in any cloud until you make a backup. WhatsApp states this on both the Android-to-iPhone and iPhone-to-iPhone pages. Set up Chat backup on the new phone the same day.
• Then clean the old phone. WhatsApp recommends deleting chats on the old phone to keep them private. If you are selling, trading in or returning it, wipe all data, including any SD card. Your old phone keeps a full copy of your chats until you do.

If the transfer fails or gets stuck

WhatsApp's Can't transfer chat history, Can't move chats from Android to iPhone and iPhone-to-Android pages cover most failures. Here are the common ones in one place.

The most important line on all three troubleshooting pages: a failed transfer doesn't delete your original chats, but a factory reset does. Before you reset either phone to retry, open WhatsApp on the old phone and confirm the chats you care about are still there, or that you have a recent backup. WhatsApp also says that if a transfer completes but some chats are missing, it can't retrieve them for you.

My own rule for this is boring on purpose. Don't let anyone talk you into a reset until you have seen your chats on the old phone with your own eyes.

Related guides: I keep the main phone walkthrough in my guide to fixing a phone that charges slowly. You might also want my notes on Pixel 10a vs Pixel 9a or the best budget ANC earbuds under $100.

FAQ

Can I transfer WhatsApp chats to a new phone without a backup?

Yes, if you still have the old phone. The QR-code chat transfer (Android to Android, iPhone to iPhone), Move to iOS (Android to iPhone) and Transfer to Android (iPhone to Android) all copy chats directly between the phones without a cloud backup. WhatsApp says it can't see the data you transfer, and it doesn't go to cloud storage unless you back up afterwards. A backup is only essential when the old phone is lost or broken.

How do I get my WhatsApp chats back if my old phone is lost or broken?

Restore from your last backup. Install WhatsApp on the new phone, register the same number and tap Restore. On Android, use the same Google Account; on iPhone, the same Apple ID with iCloud Drive on. If you used WhatsApp cloud storage, use that instead. Anything sent after your last backup can't be restored. WhatsApp can't recover chats for you because they aren't stored on its servers.

Why can't I transfer WhatsApp from Android to an iPhone I already set up?

Because Move to iOS only shows up in the iPhone's first-time setup screens. Once you're past them, there's no menu to go back to. Apple's answer is to erase the iPhone and run setup again, and WhatsApp's page says the same. Before you do that, back up the iPhone, since the reset clears all of it, and open WhatsApp on the Android phone to make sure your chats are still sitting there.

Can I merge my old WhatsApp chats with chats on my new phone?

No, and this catches a lot of people. Whatever you transfer wipes out what's already on the new phone, so a week of fresh chats there disappears when the old history lands. If a few of those new conversations matter, export them first as a text record (see the next-but-one question), then redo the move.

Does the WhatsApp Business app support chat transfer?

Not through these tools. WhatsApp says it's currently not possible to transfer chats on the WhatsApp Business app, and the Android-to-iPhone and iPhone-to-Android moves don't support Business either. For a Business account on the same platform, back up and restore through Google or iCloud. Check WhatsApp's help pages again before a cross-platform move, because this may change.

Can I export a WhatsApp chat and import it on the new phone?

You can export a single chat, but you can't import it into WhatsApp. On Android, open the chat and tap More options > More > Export chat, then choose with or without media. WhatsApp says the export is a text file, not a backup, so it can't be re-imported. It's good for keeping a record of one conversation, not for moving phones.

WhatsApp revises these pages fairly often, and the iPhone-to-Android requirements already differ between two of them. If a menu name on your phone doesn't match what's here, tell me your two phone models in the comments and I'll check the current help page. Everything above matches what WhatsApp, Apple and Google published on 8 November 2026.