Your locked WhatsApp chats should remain locked—not disappear—when you restore a backup on a new phone. WhatsApp says locked chats stay locked after a backup is restored. To open them, set up device authentication on the new phone; if you hid the Locked chats folder, you may also need its secret code.
The key is to make a fresh backup before switching, use the same phone number and the right cloud account, and have your encrypted-backup password or 64-digit key ready if you enabled end-to-end encrypted backups.
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Before you switch phones: protect the backup
WhatsApp chat history is not stored on WhatsApp’s servers, so the restore depends on the backup associated with your platform account. WhatsApp’s instructions for Android and iPhone require access to the relevant Google or Apple account and the phone number used for the backup.
- Make a manual backup and check its date or status. Do not assume an automatic backup finished before you switch or erase the old phone.
- Keep the same WhatsApp number available. The number used to register WhatsApp must match the backup. Android backups are associated with the registered number; iPhone restoration uses the Apple Account and iCloud Drive that hold the backup.
- Confirm access to the cloud account. On Android, use the Google Account containing the backup and ensure Google Play Services, account and phone storage, and a stable internet connection are available. On iPhone, use the same Apple Account with iCloud Drive.
- Save the encrypted-backup credential, if enabled. You will need the password or 64-digit encryption key. WhatsApp says it cannot reset a forgotten password or restore an inaccessible encrypted backup without the credential.
- Set up device authentication on the destination phone. You need it to open locked chats after restoration.
In WhatsApp, open Settings > Chats > Chat backup to review backup settings and start a manual backup. Menu wording can vary by app version and platform. Do not erase, trade in, or reset the old phone until the backup status shows the new backup has completed and you have the credentials needed to restore it.
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Restore your WhatsApp chats on the new phone
WhatsApp offers the restore prompt during initial setup after you install or reinstall the app. There is no general Restore button on the Chat backup settings screen. If you proceed past setup without restoring, WhatsApp’s guidance says you may need to reinstall and go through setup again; this cannot recover content that is missing from the available backup.
| Step | Android | iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prepare the phone | Sign in to the Google Account that contains the backup. Ensure Google Play Services, sufficient phone and account storage, and a stable internet connection. | Sign in to the Apple Account used for the backup and ensure iCloud Drive is available. |
| 2. Install and register | Install or reinstall WhatsApp, then verify the phone number associated with the backup. | Install or reinstall WhatsApp, then verify the phone number associated with the backup. |
| 3. Restore during setup | When WhatsApp finds the backup, accept the restore prompt and follow the on-screen steps. | When WhatsApp finds the iCloud backup, accept the restore prompt and follow the on-screen steps. |
| 4. Unlock access to locked chats | Set up device authentication, then open the Locked chats folder. Use the secret code too if the folder is hidden. | Set up device authentication, then open the Locked chats folder. Use the secret code too if the folder is hidden. |
If end-to-end encrypted backups are enabled, enter the backup password or 64-digit key when prompted. WhatsApp’s encrypted-backup guidance explains that this credential is necessary to access the backup.
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What happens to locked chats after restoration?
WhatsApp Help Center’s “Turn chat lock on or off” guidance says: “If you backup and restore WhatsApp on a new phone, your locked chats will still be locked.” Restoration preserves their locked state; it does not remove the lock. Device authentication on the new phone is needed to access them.
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Changing your number, or missing a backup credential?
If you are changing your WhatsApp number
Backups are tied to the number registered when they were created. WhatsApp’s Android instructions for changing numbers say to change the number on the old phone, make a backup, and then register the new number on the new phone before restoring. That documented sequence is for Android; do not assume it is identical on iPhone without checking WhatsApp’s current iOS instructions.
If you forgot the encrypted-backup password or lost the key
WhatsApp says: “WhatsApp can’t reset your password or help restore your backup.” If you can still access your chats, WhatsApp describes changing the password from the account; confirm you can access the backup before losing the old phone or reinstalling. If you no longer have chat access and cannot provide the password or key, the encrypted backup cannot be restored through WhatsApp.
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- AUTOMATIC BACKUP. Automatically back up your latest photos, videos, music, documents, and contacts with the SanDisk Memory Zone app. (Download and installation required. Set up automatic backup within app settings. See official SanDisk website for Memory Zone details.)
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Locked folder hidden or secret code forgotten? Avoid clearing it as a shortcut
Do not select Unlock and clear locked chats simply to reveal the folder. WhatsApp says this clears the secret code and returns locked conversations to the chat list, but it also deletes the messages and media in those locked chats. Recovery is possible only for content included in a backup made before the clearing action; anything created after that backup is not in it.
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Common restore problems and what they mean
- WhatsApp does not find a backup: check that you are using the matching phone number and platform account. For Android, confirm the Google Account containing the backup; for iPhone, confirm the Apple Account and iCloud Drive used to create it.
- You expected an older backup: WhatsApp’s guidance says a new Google Account backup replaces the previous WhatsApp backup for that number, and a new iCloud backup replaces the previous WhatsApp backup for that account. Do not assume WhatsApp offers a choice of older cloud snapshots.
- The restore prompt was missed: the choice appears during initial setup, not as a general setting afterward. Reinstalling and repeating setup may bring the prompt back if a backup is available, but cannot recover chats absent from that backup.
- The backup is end-to-end encrypted and the credential is unavailable: WhatsApp cannot reset the password or restore the inaccessible backup without the password or key.
- You are trying from WhatsApp Web, Mac, or Windows: backup and restore must be done on the phone, not a linked device. See WhatsApp’s linked-device guidance.
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