Moving your WhatsApp chats: moving to a new phone

WhatsApp can move your chats to a new phone. There are three rules that matter most.

Before you start

Use the same phone number on the new phone.
Move your chats before you start using WhatsApp on the new phone. WhatsApp can't mix old and new chats together afterwards.
Keep both phones unlocked, close together and on Wi-Fi until it finishes.

Android to Android

On the old phone, open WhatsApp and tap the three dots ⋮, then Settings › Chats › Transfer chats › Start.
On the new phone, install WhatsApp, tap Agree and continue and confirm your phone number.
Choose Transfer from old phone, then tap Continue and Start.
A square barcode (QR code) appears on the new phone. Scan it with the old phone.
On the new phone, tap Accept to link the two phones.
Wait until it finishes, then tap Next. Don't close WhatsApp on either phone while it is copying.

iPhone to iPhone

On the old iPhone, open WhatsApp and go to Settings (or You) › Chats › Transfer chat history, then tap Transfer to iPhone.
On the new iPhone, download WhatsApp and set it up. When you see Transfer chat history, tap Continue.
Scan the square barcode (QR code) shown on the new iPhone using the old one.
Keep both phones unlocked with WhatsApp open until it says Done.

Android to iPhone

This only works on a brand new iPhone (or one that has been reset), using Apple's Move to iOS app while you set it up. See our Android to iPhone guide.
When choosing what to move, tick WhatsApp. On the Android phone, tap Start and wait while WhatsApp gets your chats ready, then tap Next to go back to Move to iOS.
When Move to iOS has finished, install WhatsApp on the iPhone from the App Store.
Open WhatsApp, sign in with the same phone number and tap Start when asked. Your chats will appear.

iPhone to Android

On the iPhone, open WhatsApp and go to Chats › Transfer chat history › Transfer to Android, then tap Continue.
On the Android phone, open WhatsApp and confirm the same phone number.
When a square barcode (QR code) appears on the Android phone, scan it with the iPhone camera, then tap Join if asked.
Your new phone may also offer to move WhatsApp while you set it up. Either way works.

When it has finished

Your old phone keeps its copy until you reset it, so don't reset it until you're happy.

Watch how it's done

Official videos from WhatsApp. The video only loads from YouTube when you press play.

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Official help pages

More guides

iPhone to iPhoneAndroid to iPhoneiPhone to AndroidSamsung to SamsungGoogle Pixel or other AndroidNew HONOR phoneNew OPPO phoneNew OnePlus phoneNew Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO phoneNew Motorola phoneKeep your contacts and photos safeBefore you trade in, sell or give away

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These guides are written by Norfolk Fibre Watch in plain English. The videos and links come straight from Apple, Google, Samsung and WhatsApp. We don't earn anything from this section. Menus can change after phone updates, so if your screen looks different, follow the official guide linked on each page.