WhatsApp’s iOS to Android chat transfer feature begins rolling out

• WhatsApp chat transfer feature is now rolling out to select users on the iOS beta channel.
  
• The Facebook-owned messaging giant had announced this highly requested feature at the Samsung Unpacked 2021 event this month.
  
• Users have been requesting this feature for years and had to rely on paid third-party tools, until now.
  

The WhatsApp iOS to Android chat transfer feature has started rolling out to some users. The highly anticipated feature was announced during the Samsung Unpacked 2021 event held earlier this month.

According to WABetaInfo, the WhatsApp chat transfer feature is being enabled for select users in the beta channel for iOS. More specifically, it is going live on WhatsApp for iOS version 2.21.160.16, and it’s not available on Android at the moment.

If you are using WhatsApp on your iPhone and have the aforementioned version installed, you can check the feature by going into Settings -> Chats on WhatsApp. If the feature is live for you, the ‘Move chats to Android’ option will be visible. Note that this is useful only if you want to switch to an Android phone.

At the moment, it is still not possible to switch and transfer your WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS.

Initially, WhatsApp will allow iPhone users to migrate their chats to Samsung devices. Given that this was announced at the Samsung Unpacked event, it is likely that WhatsApp and Samsung have partnered for a time-limited exclusivity.

Soon, all WhatsApp users will be able to transfer their chats from iOS to Android and vice versa.

“WhatsApp will be introducing the ability to move your entire WhatsApp chat history — including voice notes, photos, and conversations — in a seamless and secure way if you choose to switch mobile operating systems,” the company added.

Until now, WhatsApp chat transfers were possible through third-party tools like dr.fone, which costs $22 (approx. ₹1,600). Given that it is a third-party tool, it could also spark concerns about security and privacy.

Alternatively, users can email their entire chat history to themselves, but this cannot be restored on their new device, making it less useful than native chat transfer options.

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