WhatsApp is now allowing users to move their conversation history from Android to iPhone, after previously only allowing users to transfer messages in the opposite direction (from iPhone to Android). Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the feature in a Facebook post.
The upgrade addresses a long-standing WhatsApp issue, namely the difficulty in transferring chats across the two smartphone operating systems. Chats can be easily transferred from one iOS device to another or from one Android device to another, but not across the two operating systems.
The transfer procedure is only applicable to new or factory reset iPhones and makes use of Apple’s existing Move to iOS app for Android (which already helps move contacts, calendar entries, SMS messages, and more). Select the “Move Data from Android” option during iPhone setup, and then follow the procedures in the Android app. Once the iPhone is fully configured, launch WhatsApp and sign in with the same phone number. Your previous Android chat history should be displayed.
To begin the transfer, your Android smartphone must be running Android 5 or higher, and your iPhone must be running iOS 15.5 or higher. If you already have an existing iOS chat history, the imported Android history will overwrite it.