One of the most anticipated functions by WhatsApp users is about to reach everyone: Google has announced the transfer of chats and files between iPhone and Android 12 . Already available in the Pixels , we have been able to test it: it works at the start of the phone and allows you to move all the conversations along with your files .
It seems incredible that something as basic as moving the WhatsApp application between operating systems has not been possible until now . It is true that the characteristics of the app make migration difficult ( due to the end-to-end encryption, messages do not remain on the platform’s servers ), but, even so, it was such a desired feature that WhatsApp should have developed it before. And how it works? Let’s see.
Only available on phone startup (for now)
The transfer tool is included in Android 12 and is part of the data transfer application ( there is no need to download Data Transfer Tool from the Play Store ). Its operation is intuitive and not only transfers WhatsApp data, but also applications, part of your information, contacts and other user data, such as calendars.
IN ENGADGET ANDROID
How to make the photos of a WhatsApp chat or group not appear in the gallery
The transfer process is complex and allows you to start a new phone with most of the information from the old iPhone . As long as the mobile to be configured has Android 12: we have tested the transfer of WhatsApp on a Pixel 4a with the stable version of Android 12 and on an iPhone 12 Pro Max with iOS 15 .
It is still not possible to transfer the WhatsApp account between iPhone and an Android that is already configured: it is essential to start it from scratch . That’s just what we did to check that the whole process works correctly: we factory reset our Google Pixel 4a and attached it to the iPhone.
To verify that the process works, we factory reset our Pixel 4a and configure it by connecting it to the iPhone 12 Pro Max via cable
Let’s see what needs to be done to carry out the chat transfer process:
- Make sure WhatsApp on your iPhone is updated to the latest version.
- Connect the iPhone and Android 12 with cable (USB C to Lightning, is the one we use).
- Start your Android 12 and start the setup process. When he asks if you want to restore the data, say yes.
- Unlock iPhone and choose the apps and data you want to move. There will be WhatsApp.
- A QR code will appear on the screen of Android 12. Capture it with the iPhone camera: WhatsApp to Android transfer will open.
You have to activate the transfer in the WhatsApp application. This is the manual process (in case the QR doesn’t work)
- Android 12 will start the data transfer process. It depends on the information your iPhone contains, and what you have chosen to transfer, the duration will be more or less long. On average it will last up to fifteen or twenty minutes.
- Once the process is finished, Android 12 will download all the iPhone applications from Google Play and restore your data as far as possible (there is no way to transfer all the information).
- Open WhatsApp when it is installed, log in with your phone number and, after accessing the account, you will have all the chats, photos, videos and voice notes on the new mobile.
- Your WhatsApp number will be disconnected from the iPhone.
The operation of the data transfer tool is as expected even if it is limited to the initial configuration of the phone. It allows you to safeguard all conversations along with multimedia content so that it does not get lost with the jump between iPhone and Android , something that until now was mandatory (unless expensive payment tools were used). Despite the delay, it is appreciated that it is finally available.
As much as the passage between iPhone and Android is solved, the reverse path is still not possible, from Android to iPhone . And, as we have seen, it can only be done in Android 12: to move the chats you have to update.
