According to reports from WABetaInfo and 9to5Google, WhatsApp is developing a method for users to transfer their chat history from iOS to Android. This feature can solve one of the biggest annoyances of the messaging service owned by Facebook, that is, the official cannot transfer message backups between iPhone and Android, and can only transfer between phones running the same operating system. Since at least April, detailed information about the features under development has appeared in the WhatsApp software.
The screenshot shared by WABetaInfo shows the new option“Move chats to Android” in WhatsApp’s iOS app. The second screenshot shows a screen that requires the user to keep the iPhone unlocked and open WhatsApp during the transfer. So far, most of the evidence points to the iOS to Android porting function, but WABetaInfo previously reported that the reverse is also possible.
According to XDA Developers, the new WhatsApp transfer tool may be part of a new “Switch to Android” iOS application that Google is developing. Just like Apple’s “Move to iOS” application that helps users migrate from Android to iOS, Switch to Android makes it easier to migrate to Google’s operating system. According to the XDA developers, the code in the Google app indicates that it can be integrated with WhatsApp’s unpublished transfer tool.
The announcement of the migration feature comes as WhatsApp is testing multi-device support in a beta version, allowing users to access their conversations from multiple devices without having to route all content through a single phone. In addition to transferring chat records between platforms, WABetaInfo also reported that WhatsApp is developing a method to transfer chat records between different phone numbers. It is not clear when any of these functions will be widely available.
Restoring a WhatsApp chat is as easy as starting a conversation. If you have an Android smartphone, connect it to Wi-Fi first, and then back up chats to Google Drive. The size of the backup file may vary, it may consume your mobile data, and may incur additional charges. So it is recommended to connect to Wi-Fi.