Official migration from Android to iPhone is now available

[Lekensteyn]

I have been waiting for a tool to transfer all WhatsApp data (including media) from Android to iPhone. Since June 2022 there seems to be an official tool now. It however only works on an iPhone reset to factory settings.

From WhatsApp Help Center - How to migrate your WhatsApp data from Android to iPhone:

How to migrate your WhatsApp data from Android to iPhone

If you're moving from an Android phone to an iPhone, you can transfer your account information, profile photo, individual chats, group chats, chat history, media, and settings. You can’t transfer your call history or display name.

What do I need?

• Android OS Lollipop, SDK 21 or above, or Android 5 or above installed on your Android device
• iOS 15.5 or above installed on your iPhone
• Move to iOS app installed on your Android phone
• WhatsApp iOS version 2.22.10.70 or above on your new device
• WhatsApp Android version 2.22.7.74 or above on your old device
• Use the same phone number as your old phone on your new device
• Your iPhone must be factory new or reset to factory settings to pair with the Move to iOS app and move data from your Android phone
• Both of your devices must be connected to a power source
• Both of your devices need to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network or you’ll need to connect your Android device to your iPhone’s hotspot

Migrate from Android to iPhone

1. Open the Move to iOS app on your Android phone and follow the on-screen prompts.
2. A code will be displayed on your iPhone. When prompted, enter the code on your Android phone.
3. Tap Continue and follow the on-screen prompts.
4. Select WhatsApp on the Transfer Data screen.
5. Tap START on your Android phone, and wait for WhatsApp to prepare the data for export. You’ll be signed out from your Android phone once the data is prepared.
6. Tap NEXT to return to the Move to iOS app.
7. Tap CONTINUE to transfer the data from your Android phone to your iPhone and wait for Move to iOS to confirm the transfer is complete.
8. Install the latest version of WhatsApp from the App Store.
9. Open WhatsApp and log in using the same phone number used on your old device.
10. Tap Start when prompted, and allow the process to complete.
11. Finish activating your new device and you’ll see your chats waiting for you.

What happens to my data?

• Transferred data doesn't go to cloud storage as a result of the migration until you create an iCloud backup.
• WhatsApp can't see the data you transfer.
• Your Android phone will still have your data unless you delete WhatsApp or wipe your phone.

What messages can I transfer to my new phone?

You can transfer:

• Personal messages

You can't transfer:

• Peer to peer payment messages

Can I transfer my call history?

Your WhatsApp call history can’t be transferred from an Android phone to an iPhone.

Related resources:

Can't migrate chat history from Android to iPhone

[majurius]

Doesn't work with company managed iPhones

[myishay]

I just tried to transfer the data from my old Samsung Galaxy A51 to my new iPhone 13 using this method, but the "Whatsapp" option was not available...

[Lekensteyn]

WhatsApp seems to be slowly rolling out the changes. With version 2.22.13.76, I still did not have the option.

What did work was enrolling into the beta and updating the app:

1. Go to https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.whatsapp and log in with your Google account that is associated with your Android device
2. Confirm enrollment. If the next page says that the program is full, try refreshing and submitting the form again. I had to try three times with some seconds delay.
3. Go to the Play Store, and update WhatsApp to the Beta version, I ended up with 2.22.15.13. This is important, previously I was on the Beta program but with the old version installed, I still did not receive the feature.

After installing the Beta version, I succeeded in transferring all my data from a Pixel 2 to an temporary iPhone 7:

1. The Move to iOS app has a "WhatsApp" option at the bottom of the list, check it.
2. Once you continue, it will present the "Move chats to iOS" screen. Press "Start".
3. After continuing, it took about 6 minutes to get through the "Getting chats ready..." screen while the progress bar was stuck on "Preparing... 1%".
4. Once completed, it showed "Almost Done!" with a "Next" button.
5. The Next button takes you back to the Move to iOS app where the size is now visible under the "WhatsApp" option. Press "Continue".
6. It started with "Time remaining: 6 minutes", but actually took 13 minutes at the end. Looking at adb logcat, it seems to transfer large files first and small files last.
7. Once finalized, it shows "Transfer Complete" and a "Done" button. At this point, you can ignore the Android phone and continue on the iPhone. WhatsApp on Android seems logged out as it shows the "Welcome to WhatsApp" button instead of the usual chats.
8. On the iPhone, continue the set up process, including logging in to your Apple/iCloud account.
9. Install WhatsApp through the App Store. Once opened, confirm the phone number, and confirm importing existing chats.

After completing importing these to a temporary iPhone 7, I continued migrating it to my final iPhone by making a backup to iCloud:

1. Open WhatsApp, go to Settings -> Chats -> Chat Backup.
2. To preserve everything, I checked "Include Videos".
3. To make sure that iCloud cannot read the backup contents, enable End-to-end Encrypted Backup.
4. Hit "Back Up Now" to start uploading to iCloud.
5. Just to make sure that I don't miss messages, I hit "Back Up Now" once again after the initial backup. This will start uploading again, but will skip over data that was already backed up before.
6. After that final backup, I put the temporary iPhone in airplane mode to make sure I don't receive new messages after the backup.

Then on my actual phone I installed WhatsApp and imported from iCloud:

1. Install WhatsApp, confirm my phone number.
2. Confirm importing chats from iCloud. Enter the End-to-end password.
3. Downloading from iCloud starts.
4. Once completed, you can uninstall WhatsApp on the temporary phone, sign out from iCloud, and erase the temporary iPhone.

[hmassareli]

Does it work with whats app business?

[vesper8]

The fact that this method requires a factory reset of your iphone is so laughably bad.. it should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as "official".. it's a joke! It's so awful that in 2024 there still isn't a way to migrate chats from Android to iPhone without requiring a factory reset!

[buryo]

The fact that this method requires a factory reset of your iphone is so laughably bad.. it should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as "official".. it's a joke! It's so awful that in 2024 there still isn't a way to migrate chats from Android to iPhone without requiring a factory reset!

Totally agree... Also the fact that so many companies make abuse of this and make paid tools to accomplish this. I dont think they respect any user data and privacy tho 🤦🏻

[marcgarciamarti]

The fact that this method requires a factory reset of your iphone is so laughably bad.. it should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as "official".. it's a joke! It's so awful that in 2024 there still isn't a way to migrate chats from Android to iPhone without requiring a factory reset!

Posted this message today: https://x.com/marcgarciamarti/status/1827096345414381810?s=61

It is just amazing...

[marcgarciamarti]

The fact that this method requires a factory reset of your iphone is so laughably bad.. it should not even be mentioned in the same sentence as "official".. it's a joke! It's so awful that in 2024 there still isn't a way to migrate chats from Android to iPhone without requiring a factory reset!

Totally agree... Also the fact that so many companies make abuse of this and make paid tools to accomplish this. I dont think they respect any user data and privacy tho 🤦🏻

Did any of you ever manage to find a solution?