WhatsApp has introduced a faster and more convenient method for transferring data between devices within the same operating system, so you can avoid the tedious backup and restore process. But the new local transfer method is limited to iPhone-to-iPhone and Android-to-Android transfers.
How to quickly transfer your WhatsApp messages to a new phone
For the longest time, the only way you could transfer all the data on your WhatsApp account from one device to another was to export and then import a backup to and from a cloud storage account. It’s by far not the most efficient way to move your conversations over, not to mention that you need an internet connection for both ends of the process. Fortunately, parent company Meta offers a faster local account transfer method.
Local WhatsApp data transfer method
There are a few ways for transferring your WhatsApp account data, each tailored to what kind of phone you’re moving from and to. WhatsApp tells The Verge that its local data transfer method works between two devices on the same operating system – iPhone to iPhone and Android to Android.
Before proceeding, make sure your new phone is turned on, set up, and has WhatsApp downloaded and ready to open. Then, on your old phone:
- Open WhatsApp, hit the three-dot icon (⋮), then navigate to Settings> Chats> Transfer chats
- Hit Start. You may need to grant WhatsApp permission to reach out to nearby devices. You’ll then be taken to a camera view.
- On your new phone, open WhatsApp and sign in with the account currently on your old phone.
- The app will then prompt you if you’d like to transfer your account. Select Start. It will generate a QR code.
- Use your old phone to scan the QR code and initiate the transfer. You may need to confirm the connection on your new device by pressing OK.
All you need to do after that is wait for the process to wrap up on both phones. Your account will then be logged out of your old phone, and you should be free to continue where you left off on WhatsApp – and all the chats you’ve racked up – with your new phone.
Need more help?
If you’re crossing over from Android to iOS, we have pointers for how to move your WhatsApp chats.
Also, if you don’t have your old phone where your WhatsApp account currently resides, and the new phone that you’ll be transferring that account to, you’ll need to import a cloud backup instead. Fortunately, we have a guide on how to perform a transfer through a backup, too.