You can move your WhatsApp account and chats to a replacement phone, but the right steps depend on whether you are switching between iPhones, between Android phones, or across platforms. Keep your old phone and its WhatsApp data intact until you have checked the chats on the new phone. If you are also changing your number, change it on the old phone before starting the transfer.
Choose the transfer path before activating WhatsApp
WhatsApp has different transfer flows for same-platform and cross-platform moves. Android-to-iPhone migration has an additional timing requirement: it uses Apple’s Move to iOS during the iPhone’s initial setup. Use the path that matches both phones:
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| Move | Method and setup timing | Phone number | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone to iPhone | WhatsApp’s direct phone-transfer flow; follow the prompts on both phones. | Register with the number for the account you are moving. | Keep the old iPhone available until the chats appear on the new one. |
| Android to Android | WhatsApp’s direct phone-transfer flow; follow the prompts on both phones. | Register with the number for the account you are moving. | Keep the old Android phone available until the chats appear on the new one. |
| iPhone to Android | WhatsApp QR-code transfer over local Wi-Fi. | The same number must be used on both devices. | Move the chat history before activating WhatsApp on the new Android phone; histories cannot be merged. |
| Android to iPhone | Apple’s Move to iOS, during setup of a new or factory-reset iPhone. | The same number must be used on both devices. | The iPhone must be in initial setup; resetting it erases its contents, so back up unrelated data first. |
These are WhatsApp’s documented paths; see its guidance on changing phones and transferring an account to a new phone. Keep both devices and their data until you have verified the destination. WhatsApp recommends deleting chats from the old phone only after the move if you want to help protect their privacy.
Before you start
- Confirm which platform path applies and whether your phone number is changing.
- Keep the old phone, with WhatsApp and its data, available. Do not delete the app or erase the phone before checking the destination.
- Update WhatsApp on both phones and connect them to power and a stable Wi-Fi network where the selected flow requires it.
- Have access to the number you will register and complete two-step verification if prompted. WhatsApp may require a wait before sending a verification code for some security checks.
- If using Google Account backup as a separate safeguard, check that the phone and Google Account have enough storage and that the connection is stable. A local transfer and a cloud backup are not the same thing.
Move WhatsApp between phones of the same type
WhatsApp’s direct transfer flow applies to moves between the same type of phone as well as some account moves across types. Its instructions call for both phones, internet access, and the old phone’s camera to scan a QR code shown on the new phone.
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- Install WhatsApp on the new phone and open it.
- Register using the number for the account you are moving. If you are keeping your number and use a physical SIM, move it to the new phone as needed.
- When the new phone displays a QR code, open WhatsApp on the old phone and scan it with that phone’s camera.
- Follow the on-screen prompts on both devices. Keep WhatsApp open and do not close it before the transfer-complete screen appears.
- Complete two-step verification if requested, then check the new phone for the chats and media you need.
Registering the account on the new phone logs the old phone out. If WhatsApp requires a security wait before sending a code, follow the prompt; the company says it cannot speed up that wait. The direct transfer instructions are in WhatsApp’s account-transfer guide.
Move chats from iPhone to Android
This route uses WhatsApp’s QR and local Wi-Fi transfer. Use the same phone number on both devices, update WhatsApp, keep the old iPhone’s data until the move is complete, and allow time based on how much data you have.
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- On the iPhone, open WhatsApp and go to Chats > Transfer Chat History > Transfer to Android.
- On the Android phone, install and open WhatsApp, then verify the same number used on the iPhone.
- Scan the QR code shown on Android with the iPhone, then join the local Wi-Fi connection when prompted.
- Keep the phones powered and follow the prompts until WhatsApp reports the transfer is complete.
- Check the new Android phone for the transferred chats and media before removing WhatsApp data from the iPhone.
WhatsApp says this route can transfer account information, individual and group chats, communities, channel updates, chat history, files, and settings. It does not transfer the display name, status updates, or media received through WhatsApp channels; peer-to-peer payment messages do not transfer, although personal messages do. You must move the history before activating WhatsApp on the new Android phone. If you have already activated it, WhatsApp’s guidance says to uninstall WhatsApp first to restore the earlier chats; histories cannot be merged. The local transfer is not a cloud backup. See WhatsApp’s iPhone-to-Android transfer instructions.
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WhatsApp’s documented Android-to-iPhone process runs through Apple’s Move to iOS app during the iPhone’s initial setup. The requirements listed by WhatsApp are Android 5 or later, iOS 15.5 or later, current WhatsApp versions, the same phone number on both devices, and both devices connected to power. They must share Wi-Fi, or the Android phone must connect to the iPhone’s hotspot. The iPhone must be new or factory reset.
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- If the iPhone already contains data you need, back it up before considering a reset. The transfer flow requires a new or factory-reset iPhone, and a reset erases its contents.
- During iPhone setup, choose the option to move data from Android. Start Move to iOS on the Android phone.
- Enter on Android the code displayed on the iPhone.
- When asked what to transfer, select WhatsApp. Follow WhatsApp’s prompts to prepare and export the data, then complete Move to iOS.
- After iPhone setup finishes, install and open WhatsApp on the iPhone and activate it with the same number used on Android.
- Check the transferred chats and media. To create an iCloud backup of this migrated data, make one from WhatsApp after the transfer.
WhatsApp lists account information, profile photo, chats, communities, channel updates, chat history, media, and settings as transferable. Call history, display name, and channel media are not transferred. Migrated data is not stored in iCloud until you create an iCloud backup afterward. WhatsApp’s Android-to-iPhone transfer instructions describe this setup flow.
If you are changing your phone number too
Change the number on the old phone before moving chat history. WhatsApp says the Change Number feature moves account information and settings to the new number, including profile details, privacy settings, contacts, individual chats, and groups.
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- On the old phone, use WhatsApp’s Change Number feature and complete the change to the new number.
- After changing numbers, create a fresh backup if you use cloud backup.
- Then follow the transfer path for your old and new phone platforms, registering the destination with the new number.
Existing cloud backups are tied to the number used when they were created, so a backup made under the old number cannot be used to restore after the number change. WhatsApp says someone who no longer has access to the old account cannot move its backup to a new number. See About changing phone numbers and WhatsApp’s account-transfer guidance.
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Understand backups separately from the phone transfer
A successful device-to-device transfer does not necessarily create a cloud backup. For example, chats moved from Android to iPhone are not in iCloud until you create an iCloud backup after migration.
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For Google Account backups, WhatsApp says the backup is associated with both the phone number and Google Account used to create it. A new backup to that same Google Account overwrites the previous one, and WhatsApp says an older Google Account backup cannot be restored. Google may automatically delete backups that have not been updated in five months. WhatsApp chat backups are not protected by WhatsApp end-to-end encryption unless you enable encrypted backup. Review the settings and storage before relying on a backup; details are in WhatsApp’s About Google Account backups.
If the transfer does not finish as expected
- The destination history is blank: Check that you followed the correct platform flow and used the intended number. If using iPhone-to-Android, the history must be moved before activating WhatsApp on Android; WhatsApp says histories cannot be merged.
- The transfer stalls: Keep both phones powered, nearby, and connected to stable Wi-Fi. Leave WhatsApp open and follow any prompts to unlock or reconnect a device. Do not erase the source phone while troubleshooting.
- The verification code is delayed: WhatsApp may impose a security wait and says it cannot shorten it. Wait for the stated period rather than repeatedly assuming the transfer has failed.
- You are considering resetting an iPhone: Android-to-iPhone migration requires initial setup on a new or factory-reset iPhone. Back up unrelated iPhone data first because resetting erases it.
- The old phone or its data is already gone: WhatsApp says chat history is not stored on its servers, so do not assume WhatsApp can recover its contents. Any available restore depends on a usable backup and its associated account details.
The cited cross-platform steps cover the consumer WhatsApp app; they do not establish that every WhatsApp Business migration follows the same process. Check the current WhatsApp instructions for the specific app before proceeding.
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