Despite there being a plethora of chat and messaging apps on the App Store, not to mention iMessage, WhatsApp remains one of the most popular choices. WhatsApp has become the de-facto messaging client for much of the world, accounting for more than 2 billion monthly active users (as of 2021).
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How to Transfer WhatsApp From Android to iPhone
There are a lot of great reasons to switch your group chats over to WhatsApp, but there used to be some frustrating annoyances. One of which is when you happened to upgrade to a new iPhone or wanted to switch from Android to iOS.
Until earlier this year, it wasn’t possible without trying (and hoping) to use some third-party software. But those solutions weren’t always reliable and opened the door to some privacy concerns. Thankfully, WhatsApp finally introduced the option to safely transfer your messages and chat groups between platforms.
Requirements
As you might expect, being able to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone is not as easy as you would hope. You can’t just login to the mobile client with the same login information and have all of your chats just appear. Instead, WhatsApp has laid out a series of requirements that you need to meet in order to transfer your messages.
- Android OS Lollipop, SDK 21 or above, or Android 5 or above installed on your Android device
- iOS 15.5 or above installed on your iPhone
- Move to iOS app installed on your Android phone
- WhatsApp iOS version 2.22.10.70 or above on your new device
- WhatsApp Android version 2.22.7.74 or above on your old device
- Use the same phone number as your old phone on your new device
- Your iPhone must be factory new or reset to factory settings to pair with the Move to iOS app and move data from your Android phone
- Both of your devices must be connected to a power source
- Both of your devices need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network or you’ll need to connect your Android device to your iPhone’s hotspot
As a note, WhatsApp confirms that even with the following method for transferring chats, there are a couple of things that won’t be transferred. These include any “peer to peer payment messages” and your “WhatsApp call history can’t be transferred”.
Begin The Transfer
Following the release of iOS 15.5 and an updated version of the Move to iOS app on the Google Play Store, you can finally transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone. The steps below may seem a bit daunting, but you’ll be guided through the entire process from start to finish.
- Download the Move to iOS app on your Android phone.
- Once downloaded, follow the on-screen prompts.
- During the process, a code will appear on your iPhone.
- Enter the code on your Android phone, when prompted.
- Tap Continue and follow the on-screen prompts.
- When you reach the Transfer Data screen, select WhatsApp.
- On your Android phone, tap the Start button.
- Wait for WhatsApp to prepare the data for export.
- When prompted, tap the Next button.
- Tap Continue to transfer the data from your Android phone to your iPhone.
- After the transfer has been confirmed, download WhatsApp from the App Store on your iPhone.
- Open the app after it’s installed.
- Log in using the same phone number from your old device.
- Tap Start when prompted.
- Finish activating your new iPhone.
One of the most important aspects of trying to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone is that you are using the same phone number. There are many instances of people trying to transfer their WhatsApp data only to learn that they can’t. This is likely due to a different phone number being used. But there are ways to work around this if you need to.
Andrew Myrick is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is having a never-ending supply of different keyboards and gaming handhelds that end up collecting more dust than the consoles that are being emulated.
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