Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- WhatsApp is introducing a new chat transfer feature that uses QR codes.
- This method of transfer only works between devices with the same operating system.
- The QR code transfer is said to be fully encrypted.
Transferring data from your old phone to your new phone can be a pain in the neck. But WhatsApp is introducing a new feature that should help make at least part of that process a little faster and easier.
WhatsApp announced today that the app is getting a new chat transfer feature, according to The Verge. The feature will allow users to transfer messages and large attachments from one phone to another.
This new transfer method makes it faster and easier to transfer data by only requiring users to scan a QR code. As a result, users can avoid having to back up their information to the cloud and then having to download that data to their new phone.
To activate the feature, according to TechCrunch, both devices will reportedly need to be on the same Wi-Fi connection. The user will then need to access Settings>Chats>Chat transfer on their old phone. A QR code should pop up for the new phone to scan.
If you’re concerned about privacy, the company says that data is only shared between the two devices when the QR code is scanned. The chat transfer is also reportedly fully encrypted.
On the downside, it looks like the feature will only work when the two devices share the same operating system. So you can only do chat transfers from Android to Android or iOS to iOS. If you’re going from iPhone to Android or Android to iPhone, the WhatsApp’s help page has instructions you can follow. The instructions differ depending on which way you’re transferring.
At the moment, there’s no release date for the feature. But it has been slowly rolling out to beta testers on Android and iOS.
