How to move WhatsApp to a new phone without losing a single chat

WhatsApp gives you free, official ways to move your chats to a new phone, and for most people they work fine. Problems tend to come from doing things in the wrong order: wiping the old phone too soon, using a different number, or discovering halfway through that the Google backup is months old.

This guide covers the official methods for each type of switch, the mistakes that cost people their chats, and how to keep a full copy on your computer as insurance.

Before you switch: a 5-minute checklist

1. Keep the old phone working and don’t reset it until the new one shows all your chats.
2. Use the same phone number on the new phone. If the number is changing, do Settings > Account > Change number on the old phone first.
3. Update WhatsApp on both phones.
4. Charge both phones and connect them to the same Wi-Fi network.
5. Make a safety copy of your chats outside the phone (more on that below).

Android to Android: the Transfer chats method

This is the simplest option and doesn’t depend on Google Drive storage at all.

1. On the new phone, install WhatsApp and verify your number.
2. When it offers to restore, choose to transfer from the old phone. A QR code appears.
3. On the old phone, go to Settings > Chats > Transfer chats and tap Start.
4. Scan the QR code on the new phone with the old one.
5. Keep both phones close together, on the same Wi-Fi, until it finishes.

Large histories with lots of video can take a while. Don’t lock or close WhatsApp on either phone while it’s running.

Android to Android: restoring from a Google backup

The other official route is a cloud backup. Google’s own help page explains how to transfer WhatsApp data to a new Android: back up on the old phone, install WhatsApp on the new one, sign in with the same number and the same Google Account, then choose to restore.

1. On the old phone: Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Back up.
2. Check the date of the last backup on that same screen. It should be from today.
3. On the new phone, sign in to the same Google Account, install WhatsApp, verify your number and tap Restore.

The catch: since 2024, WhatsApp backups on Android count toward your Google storage, shared with Gmail and Photos. If that space is full, your last backup may be old or incomplete without you noticing. If that’s your situation, see how to back up WhatsApp to PC without Google Drive.

Android to iPhone: Move to iOS

Moving from Android to iPhone uses Apple’s Move to iOS app, which can carry WhatsApp chats during the iPhone’s initial setup. Things to know:

• It’s done while setting up the iPhone, so plan it before you finish setup.
• Use the same phone number on the iPhone.
• The chats move into the iPhone; Google Drive backups don’t restore on iPhone.

Because cross-platform moves are the ones most likely to go wrong, a safety copy before you start is especially worth it here.

Which method should you use?

Situation	Best option	Needs Google storage?
Android to Android, both phones at hand	Transfer chats (QR code, same Wi-Fi)	No
Android to Android, old phone lost or broken	Restore from Google backup	Yes
Android to iPhone	Move to iOS	No
Keep a permanent copy on your computer	Arkivy	No

Notice the last row is different from the others. That’s on purpose.

Why keep a copy on your PC before switching

A transfer is a one-shot operation. If it fails halfway, if you reset the old phone too early, or if the new phone breaks a week later before its first backup, the history can be gone. A copy on your own computer protects against all of that.

There’s also a longer-term reason. Phones come and go; a folder on your PC stays. With Arkivy, you connect the old Android by USB to a Windows PC, open the app in Chrome or Edge, and it saves every chat with photos, voice notes, videos and documents into a folder you choose, viewable in a WhatsApp Web style viewer with search, dates and times. Everything is processed in your browser; nothing is uploaded. The full process is explained on how it works.

What you need for the PC copy

• Windows PC with Chrome or Edge, a USB data cable, and the Android phone.
• USB debugging enabled in Developer options (you can turn it off afterwards).
• WhatsApp’s end-to-end encrypted backup turned on with a 64-digit key: Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup, then choose Use 64-digit encryption key instead. Write the key down.

These encrypted backups were introduced by WhatsApp in 2021 and can’t be read by WhatsApp or Google. That also means a lost key can’t be recovered.

Mistakes that make people lose WhatsApp chats when changing phones

• Factory resetting the old phone first. Wait until the new phone shows everything.
• Skipping the restore prompt on the new phone. Read each screen during setup; if you skip it, you may have to reinstall WhatsApp to get it back.
• Using a different Google Account on the new phone than the one holding the backup.
• Trusting an old backup. Always check the date of the last backup before switching.
• Forgetting the encryption password or key. If your backup is end-to-end encrypted and you lose the key, nobody can restore it.
• Using third-party “transfer” apps that ask for your WhatsApp account. Stick to the official routes for moving chats.

When you don’t need Arkivy at all

If both phones work, you’re keeping the same number and you have no need to read old chats on a computer, the official transfer is enough and costs nothing. Arkivy is for people who want a permanent record on their PC: because Google storage is full, because the chats matter for work, or because they may need them later as a record. If that’s your case, our guide on saving WhatsApp messages as evidence is worth a read. Plans are on the pricing page.