This new feature even has Zuck all excited!
Crossing the mobile divide between iPhone and Android is… let's just say a process going both ways. But one thing that hasn't been able to jump the gap is your WhatsApp chat history. Last year, switchers moving from iPhones gained the ability to export their data over to Samsung Galaxy and Pixel devices. There wasn't much news on work in the reverse direction, though — until now.
None other than Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of WhatsApp's parent company Meta, announced on his Facebook page that the company has brought Android-to-iPhone account transfers online.
Our colleagues at XDA-Developers picked up on the associated FAQ help page from WhatsApp's side which details how the transfer process works.
Users will need to make sure that they're using an Android 5 Lollipop or later device with WhatsApp version 2.22.7.74 and above and that they are headed towards a device with iOS 15.5 or later — for iPhones that Apple currently supports, you'll likely receive a software update after first boot that will take you up to that level.
As surmised from previous intel, all of the magic happens in the Move to iOS app. On the Transfer Data screen, users will need to tap a new checkbox for WhatsApp data before proceeding along with the workflow. Once they're done, they'll need to install WhatsApp v2.22.10.70 on their new iPhone and log in with the same account; that is, the same phone number.
The migration process will bring along users' chat histories except for any messages with peer-to-peer payments in them, photos, videos, and voice messages. Call histories will be left behind.
It still sucks that iOS-to-Android WhatsApp transfers only work on a limited set of devices, but there are some third-party services like those from Wondershare (full disclosure: link leads to a sponsored article) that help people who are moving to a Motorola or OnePlus device.
