WhatsApp is finally making it easier for Android users to make the switch to iPhone and take their prized chat history with them.
While the Meta-owned company rolled the functionality out for iPhone to Android (specifically Samsung phones) transfers last year, iPhone owners have had no easy way to maintain continuity when switching platforms.
Better still, the feature is being integrated as part of the Move to iOS app Apple already offers to current Android users via the Play Store. This app can already move your photos, messages, contacts and more by creating a secure, private Wi-Fi network.
Now WhatsApp chats will be an option as part of that transfer process too, as part of the update, which is rolling out today according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg who posted the update on his Facebook page. Importantly, Zuckerberg says WhatsApp maintains the end-to-end encryption of all data during and after the transfer process.
“We’re adding to WhatsApp the ability to securely switch between phones and transfer your chat history, photos, videos, and voice messages between Android and iPhone while maintaining end-to-end encryption,” he wrote. “This is a top requested feature. We launched the ability to switch from iPhone–>Android last year, and now adding Android–>iPhone as well.”
One completed, Engadget reports, users will need to authenticate their WhatsApp account before the messages are decrypted, but after that you’ll be in good shape to pick up your WhatsApp chats on your brand new iPhone.
The Android to iOS method is certainly easier than the reverse, involving Samsung phones, which requires a Lightning to USB-C cable to connect the two devices physically, before initiating the transfer by scanning a QR code on the new device with the old device.
WhatsApp has long promised to offer feature parity for those moving to iPhone and now that feature here. If you’ve been holding back on switching to iPhone for fear of leaving your chats behind, it’ll no longer be an issue.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
