We often see people switch from Android phones to iPhones to get a taste of Apple’s premium hardware and smooth software experience. But the one criticism that we regularly hear from users making the switch, especially in places like India, is that there’s no way to transfer old WhatsApp chats from your Android phone to iPhone. Well, WhatsApp has finally listened to our incessant requests and is now rolling out a simple way to move your chats from Android to iPhone. If you are someone who have been looking for a solution to this problem or relying on paid tools to move your precious chats, well, not anymore. In this article, we will explain how you can transfer your WhatsApp messages and media from Android to iPhone with ease.
Before we look at the process to move WhatsApp messages from an Android phone to your iPhone, let’s understand some of the essential requirements that you need to fulfill for this feature to work. If you are already aware of the basics, head to the steps to migrate WhatsApp data from one device to another:
Requirements to Move WhatsApp Messages from Android to iOS
There are a number of things that you need to remember before you transfer your WhatsApp chats from your Android phone to an iPhone. It is important that you read these points carefully and thoroughly else you might mess up the transfer process.
What WhatsApp Data You Can or Cannot Transfer to iPhone?
On its official support page, WhatsApp has detailed the data you will be able to move from Android to iPhone. We have tabulated the same right here:
How to Reset iPhone Running iOS 15 or Later
If you are moving from an Android phone to a new iPhone, then you are good to go and can move your WhatsApp chats while setting up your Apple device for the first time. However, if you are already using an iPhone and wish to bring your old chats over from Android, you will first need to reset the device, as stated above.
Next, select the “Erase All Content and Settings” option. You will see the “Erase This iPhone” screen, where you need to click on “Continue” to proceed further.
Then, enter your passcode for confirmation, and select the “Erase” option after backing up your data to iCloud. And that’s it. You have successfully reset your iPhone.
Steps to Transfer WhatsApp Chats from Android to iPhone
Note: We have used the OnePlus Nord running Android 12-based OxygenOS 12 and iPhone SE 2 running iOS 15.5 to test the WhatsApp data transfer feature in this tutorial. Also, we would like to point out that the data transfer feature is rolling out in stages and it did not work with Android 11 (Asus ROG Phone 5s) as well as iOS 16 beta (iPhone X) on our end.
On the next screen, titled “Move from Android”, tap on “Continue” to see a single-use code that you need to enter in the “Move to iOS” app on your Android phone.
Now, move to your Android phone and open the “Move to iOS” app (Free).
After that, you will once again see a “Continue” button on the “Find Your Code” screen. Tap on the “Continue” button and enter the single-use code displayed on your iPhone (in step #3)
Once you enter the code, your Android phone will wirelessly connect to your iPhone. You might be asked to select and connect to the iPhone’s local wireless network to complete the pairing process.
Note: In the meantime, you will see a message saying, “Waiting for
At this point, the “Move chats to iOS” option in WhatsApp will show up on your screen, meaning you’re one step closer to moving your messages from Android to iPhone. Here, tap on the “Start” button, followed by the “Next” button once WhatsApp is done preparing your files for transfer.
Then, WhatsApp will work its magic and start transferring your WhatsApp messages and media from Android to iPhone.
Note: Please stay patient as the WhatsApp data transfer process can take some time. The app usually says 4-5 minutes, but it may take longer if your backup is fairly large. I moved a 1.7GB WhatsApp backup from Android to iPhone, and it took around 30 minutes.
Set up WhatsApp and Complete Data Transfer on iPhone
Now, you can set aside the Android phone and tap the “Continue Setting Up iPhone” button on your Apple device, as seen in the image above. After that, follow the steps below to set up WhatsApp on your iPhone:
Next, open WhatsApp Messenger on your iPhone, and you will see the “Move Chats from Android” prompt right away. Tap on the “Start” button and give WhatsApp the necessary permissions to move messages from Android to iPhone.
Once you do that, you will see WhatsApp import our chats from your Android phone to iPhone. This may take around 10 to 15 minutes or more, depending on the size of your backup. You will see a “Transfer Complete” prompt after that and can set up your profile.
And voila, you are done! You have successfully transferred your messages and media from Android to iOS.
Enable iCloud Backup for WhatsApp on iPhone
While you are done, there’s a final step you should follow for safekeeping. Now, it’s important to mention that your data was moved to your iPhone using a local backup, so you need to enable iCloud backup for WhatsApp manually.
Don’t See WhatsApp in Move to iOS App? Here’s Why!
Now, I have noticed that a lot of users are facing this issue where they don’t see the “WhatsApp” option in the Move to iOS app. And that’s because WhatsApp has not rolled out this chat transfer functionality for all users. The feature is only available to select users and just a few people see the “WhatsApp” option in the Move to iOS app. The company plans to bring the ability to move your messages from Android to iPhone to all users very soon, so stay tuned.
If you face any issues while trying to transfer your chats from your Android phone to your iPhone, try out the following solutions:
- Next, remember to reset your iPhone before moving your old WhatsApp chats from Android to iPhone. You can’t move WhatsApp data to an already activated iPhone, as “it’s not possible to merge the new and old history,” states WhatsApp on its support page. So follow the steps above to reset your iPhone before you proceed further. If you’re setting up a brand new iPhone, you don’t need to worry about this.
How do I transfer WhatsApp chat history from Android to iPhone?
As of June 14, WhatsApp has officially added support for chat transfers from Android to iPhone. You simply need a compatible Android phone with the “Move to iOS” app and iPhone (new or reset) to move messages from your Android phone to WhatsApp. We have added detailed instructions to transfer chats from Android to iPhone in our guide, so give it a read for more information.
Can WhatsApp read the chats I transfer from Android to iPhone?
