WhatsApp Feature Update Will Migrate Chat History To A New Platform

One of the more popular messaging apps for smartphone users on the market right now is WhatsApp. The app is widely used, and as people upgrade smartphones every few years, many have been asking for a way to move their chat histories to a new device. As it stands now, you can use the same WhatsApp account on a new device on the same platform, but chat histories aren't carried over for different platforms.

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will allow users to transfer chat history to a different platform, and it's expected the land in a future update for iOS and Android devices. The update will address an issue preventing users from restoring their chat history after buying a new device that's not on the same operating system. Currently, a user who moves from an Android device to an iPhone cannot restore their chat history from backups to the Apple device.

WhatsApp is working on a solution to address this problem. Screenshots have surfaced showing WhatsApp requesting to update a user's device to transfer their chat history. With the new feature in place, users will be able to move their chat history between device platforms in either direction. The feature is also being polished to allow chat history to be transferred to a different phone number.

Caveats include that you can only start the chat migration process when you link a new device to your WhatsApp account. The feature will also migrate all media within the chat history to the new device. A process to change phone numbers while keeping the chat history and media is offered as well. The feature is currently under development for WhatsApp on Android and iOS and will be offered in a future update. Unfortunately, there is no timeline for the update, so we have to wait for more information on a potential launch date in the future.