Previously, if you had to transfer your WhatsApp chat history you would need to go first upload it to the cloud. Android users are required to back up their chats to Google Drive, while iOS users upload it to iCloud. WhatsApp then lets you restore all your chats when you’re setting up on a new or different device.
How to transfer WhatsApp chat history
You will first need to have both devices next to each other, connected to Wi-Fi and location turned on as well.
Open WhatsApp on your old phone, go to Settings > Chats > Chat transfer.
A QR code will be shown which you’ll have to scan with your new phone to start the transfer.
You will also have to download WhatsApp on your new phone, and register with the same phone number.
Once you scan the QR code, you will get a prompt saying that your other phone wants to share something via Wi-Fi Direct.
You’re also given 27 seconds to accept the request.
Once you agree, the chat transfer will begin and you’ll find all of it on your new phone.
This feature is rolling out to WhatsApp users on Android and iOS. It however, only allows chat history between the same OS (operating system). This means that you can only transfer between Android devices and iOS devices. It doesn’t allow cross-platform chat transfer yet. But it’s still quite helpful as it doesn’t require backing up your chats to the cloud although that is a safe option in case something happens to your phone.
