How to Transfer WhatsApp Between Androids

Last Updated: August 14, 2021

This wikiHow will teach you how to transfer WhatsApp from one Android to another using a Google Drive backup. You'll need to create this backup on your old Android, which will allow you to transfer it onto your new Android when installing WhatsApp. If you don't have access to your old Android, you will not be able to load your previous WhatsApp data.

Steps

1
Open WhatsApp on your old Android. The WhatsApp icon has a green background with a white phone and conversation bubble on it.
2
Tap the three-dot menu and select Settings. You'll find these three vertical dots at the top-right corner of the screen.
3
Tap Chats on the menu. Chats is second on the list, next to a chat message icon.
4
Tap Chat backup. You'll find this under the "Archived chats" grouping next to an icon of a cloud and arrow in it.
5
Select your Google account and backup preferences. Tap Google Account to pick your account, then tap Back up to Google Drive to select how often you want the app to make backups.
- If you don't see your Google account listed, you haven't added it to your phone.
- Select Only when I tap Back up to continue.
6
Tap Back Up. This backs up your WhatsApp data to Google Drive. This process can take several minutes if you have a lot of messages.^{[1]
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- If you missed the previous step and didn't select a Google account or select when to back up to Google Drive, you'll see that your last backup was made locally.
- You should see a recent backup listed next to "Google Drive."
7
Install and open WhatsApp on your new phone. If you don't have WhatsApp already installed on your new Android phone, you'll need to do that before you can continue.
8
Verify your phone number on your new Android. When you open WhatsApp, you will be asked to verify your phone number. This will require you to type in your phone number, and WhatsApp will send a text message to your phone’s default messaging app. Use the code in that message to confirm your phone number.
9
Tap Restore on your new Android. After your number is verified, WhatsApp will prompt you with a message saying "Backup found". Tap on the green Restore button to restore all of your old messages.
- If you don't get this message, you haven't signed into your Google account from your phone.
10
Tap Next on your new Android. Once your backup has been restored, you’ll see a confirmation message and a Next button. Tap on this button to finish the process, and you’ll see all of your old conversations on your new phone.^{[2]
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