After being in testing, the ability to transfer your full WhatsApp chat history from an Android phone to an iPhone is available in an update to Apple’s Move to iOS app.
This means that all of your photos, videos, voice messages, and chat history since you installed WhatsApp can now be moved over, alongside being able to do the same vice-versa.
It’s a feature that’s been long-requested by users, as before, you would have had to manually transfer your content to an iPhone, or use a third-party app on a laptop. However, Apple and Meta have clearly found a way to make this work on Move to iOS, free to download on the Google Play Store (opens in new tab). It’s going to mean much less of a headache when someone wants to switch from an iPhone to Android, or vice versa.
Analysis: A feature long awaited
In what almost feels like another life, I used to work at a phone store where I’d help to set up and transfer customers’ data from their old phones to a new one, and WhatsApp was always a challenge to make sure everything transferred from one device to the other.
There were times when I’d have to transfer individual files from one Android device to another through Bluetooth, or if it was from Android to iOS, I’d try to transfer the media, but admit defeat that transferring the chat history was next to impossible.
Thanks to this update for Move to iOS, that’s no longer a problem. It’s now just an additional step in the app when you’re transferring your contacts and other personal data.
WhatsApp has stated in a post (opens in new tab) that you must have your Android phone updated to version 5 at least, and your new iPhone at iOS 15.5, alongside the latest WhatsApp version on your Android device.
