It’s now in wider availability, but not for everyone just yet
Transferring your WhatsApp account from one Android device to another, or from one iPhone to the next, hasn’t been a problem, but if you wanted to migrate from Android to iPhone, that meant letting go of all your saved chat histories and media. In mid-June, the Meta-owned messaging platform announced it was doing away with this limitation, allowing Android users to move their WhatsApp account to an iPhone, replete with chat histories. While still in beta, this week the feature is going live for a lot more testers.
Even though Meta confirmed Android-to-iOS chat migration back in June, initially the feature was only available in beta as an A/B test, according to WABetaInfo. Presumably after ensuring everything was working as intended for a smaller group, the messaging giant is now making the tool available for other beta testers.
To get started, you’ll need at least WhatsApp version 2.22.7.74 (although likely 2.22.15.11) on your Android Lollipop or newer handset, plus an iPhone running iOS 15.5 or later. Both phones are required to be on the same Wi-Fi network, and you’ll have to put Apple’s Move to iOS app on the one running Android — and obviously, WhatsApp on the iPhone.
On the Data Transfer screen in Move to iOS, you’ll need to select the new checkbox corresponding to WhatsApp data and follow the on-screen instructions. In addition to chat histories, your old photos, videos, and settings will be migrated over — but things like payments exchanged via WhatsApp and your old call history won’t be available on your iPhone. If you ever do feel like moving back, iPhone users should have no problem at all transferring their WhatsApp accounts to an Android phone.
If you’re a WhatsApp beta tester but don’t see this new feature yet, be patient — we’ve heard that this rollout is much more comprehensive than before but still may not be hitting everyone. With any luck, this expanded beta testing could indicate WhatsApp is getting ready to finally make the feature available in the app’s stable release.
