WhatsApp is one of the biggest messaging services out there so if you’ve just switched from an iPhone to an Android phone, you probably want to take your WhatsApp settings and messages with you. 

Unfortunately, WhatsApp doesn’t offer a direct way of restoring chat backups between different phone types. Simply put, you can’t move your WhatsApp chats from iPhone into WhatsApp on Android.

However, there are ways to get around this so that you can transfer WhatsApp messages from iPhone to Android so you can still view them on your new phone. It’s not a perfect fix but it is useful.

Here’s how to transfer WhatsApp chat from iPhone to Android phone, and other settings. 

Why Can’t I Use the WhatsApp Backup Tool?

WhatsApp offers chat backups for both iPhone and Android, but there’s a catch. iPhone users backup to iCloud while Android users use Google Drive. WhatsApp won’t read Google Drive backups on iPhones and vice versa, as there’s no option to do so even when setting up a new WhatsApp installation. 

Can I Use a Third-Party App to Transfer My Backup?

The internet is full of ‘solutions’ that involve using a third-party app to perform a WhatsApp iPhone to Android transfer, but a lot of them are very unreliable. Others involve very complex transfer processes that rarely work. There’s also the issue of relying on a third-party app to transfer your sensitive data across safely. 

How to Transfer Your WhatsApp Account From iPhone to Android

It’s important to move your account across to your new Android phone, as well as your messages. If you’re switching phone numbers, you need to follow a few key steps. Here’s how to transfer your WhatsApp account from iPhone to Android.

  • Open WhatsApp.
  • Tap Settings.
  • Tap Account.
  • Tap Change Number.
  • Tap Next.
  • Enter your old phone number and new phone number.
  • Tap Next.
  • Tap Done.
  • You can notify your WhatsApp contacts of your change of number by toggling the Notify Contacts button.

How to Transfer WhatsApp Messages Between iPhone and Android

There isn’t a direct way of transferring messages between WhatsApp iPhone and Android, while still making them accessible in the app. If you want a way of reading your messages though, you can back them up and transfer them to your new phone as a text file that’s read-only. Here’s what to do.

If you’re planning on keeping the same number, you don’t need to do this step. You can simply verify your existing number when you install WhatsApp on your new Android phone. 

Open WhatsApp.

Tap Settings.

Tap Account.

Tap Change Number.

Tap Next.

Enter your old phone number and new phone number.

Tap Done.

You can notify your WhatsApp contacts of your change of number by toggling the Notify Contacts button.

  • Open WhatsApp.
  • Swipe to the left on a conversation you want to save.
  • Tap More.
  • Tap Export Chat.
  • Choose to either include all media within the chat or not.
  • If you choose to save all media, the file size will be much bigger.
  • Choose to email the file or save it somewhere else.
  • Email it to an address accessible via your new Android phone so you can always read the messages on there.
  • The file is now a zip file that is easily extracted and read on another device.

These messages won’t import back into WhatsApp. They’re solely readable as a separate file, such as via your email app.

Swipe to the left on a conversation you want to save.

Tap More.

Tap Export Chat.

Choose to either include all media within the chat or not.

If you choose to save all media, the file size will be much bigger.

Choose to email the file or save it somewhere else.

Email it to an address accessible via your new Android phone so you can always read the messages on there. 

The file is now a zip file that is easily extracted and read on another device.

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