Steps to follow when transferring WhatsApp data across platforms

by Natalie Rager

It’s easy to transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Android as you can always download a new one. Transferring your WhatsApp data, though, is something else entirely. The good news is that WhatsApp has a built-in method that lets you do it. However, the bad news is that it’s not cross-platform, consumes too much data, and is time-consuming.

Why Do It?

Maybe you switched phone platforms and now need to transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Android. Or perhaps you fear you’ll lose your data to a phone theft or accident. You may even want to abandon your phone but want to keep your WhatsApp data. Here’s a couple of ways to do it.

Cross Platforms with Backuptrans

The application is a system app that simplified a lot of the process and needs no rooting or jailbreak. However, besides the app, you’ll need at least iTunes 12 on your PC for iOS and USB debugging for Android. It’s also necessary that you turn off iCloud backup on your iPhone before starting.

Install the app, launch it, and connect your new Android and old iPhone with a USB cable to the PC. It will instantly load up all your WhatsApp data and display them on the PC. Decide on the files you want to transfer and select them. Then all you need to do is choose the phone you’re moving it to and Viola!

Note: Install WhatsApp on your new Android phone before transferring the files.

USB Cable from Android to PC

If the size of WhatsApp backup is a problem for you, why not send it to your home computer? Connect your USB cable, click “your device>internal memory>WhatsApp,” copy everything, paste to your PC, and Viola! You’ve successfully moved all your WhatsApp messages.

You can also click “Export to PC” in the WhatsApp folder to trigger the transfer.

iPhone To PC Using iTunes

If you’re using an iOS device, it’s not so simple anymore. You’ll need to have the latest iTunes on both devices to have a chance at succeeding with this method. Plug a USB cable from the phone to your computer and start iTunes. Click Device>Summary>Back Up Now.” This method backs up all your iOS data, which includes your WhatsApp data.

Cross Platforms by Email

This method works for both phone-to-phone transfers and phone-to-computer transfers but is time-consuming. It’s a built-in feature for WhatsApp, although, the intention was not for this purpose.

Launch the WhatsApp from your phone, select the message you need, and click on the three vertical lines. Select “more>export chat>Gmail” and enter your mail as the destination. You can then login to the mail from your other Device, download the exported file, and save it.

Note: If you’re using the “Export Chat” method, you can choose to send with or without your media. The number of times you can do it with media is 10,000 while without media gets you 40,000 messages.

Final Thought

Applications like dr.fone – WhatsApp Transfer and they’re derivatives are also similar to Backuptrans in function. These methods are the most popular for sending WhatsApp files across OS platforms or to your computer.

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