How to restore Whatsapp messages on new phone

Everything you need to know about transferring WhatsApp chats to new phone

Buying a new phone is always exciting. With the new versions arriving all the time, it can be hard to choose the best one for you. Still, since we can’t do without a phone anymore, it is likely that we will check on the features we want and one that has a good display screen and bring it home.

Now comes the part when you have to make it your own. You will need to download all the apps that you want, get the account settings sorted, and more importantly, retrieve the data from your old phone. This is especially true in the case of WhatsApp chats. It should be smooth as long as all your data is backed up on Google drive or the Cloud. 

It can be helpful to have a clear step-by-step process outline so that you can finish loading the new phone quickly and get to the enjoying part.

With such easy ways to restore past data to a new phone, it shouldn’t matter what the next phone is as long as you review and verify that it can support the apps you want to use. Most new smartphones come with sufficient storage that downloading any number of apps on a new phone is a simple process.
All you have to consider is if the new device will suit your budget. There are plenty of phones to choose from in the range of 15,000 rupees or less.

As part of retrieving and having complete access to all app data, let’s see how to restore WhatsApp data on your new phone. But, first, how is the data saved and where?

Ways To Save WhatsApp data

How to restore whatsapp messages

There are three options to choose from. You can choose to save the data daily, weekly, monthly. Moreover, you can choose to have it saved on Google Drive or create a local backup. If you want to use Google Drive to store your data, you will have to make sure that the phone number is the same for the Google account and WhatsApp account. 

1. Go to WhatsApp Settings
2. Tap on Chats
3. Tap Chat Backup

You can also choose to take a backup of all media files or only the chat messages. Fortunately, the newer versions of WhatsApp offer an automatic backup to Google Drive. 

Where is WhatsApp Chat Backup Stored?

Whatsapp icon

WhatsApp backup is stored as a local backup or on Google Drive. In the newer versions, 

» Tap on the three dots at the top left of the screen
» Got to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup
» You can do it manually or select the auto-backup option, and how frequently you want the data to get backed up. 
» When your WhatsApp is newly installed on the new phone, you will be asked if you want to recover the chats from Google Drive. 
» The contacts and chats will appear instantly, even as the media starts to download in the background.

Will you lose WhatsApp contacts if you change phones?

Whatsapp chats

No. Your contacts along with the respective chats will be transferred to the new phone.
If you don’t have the new version of WhatsApp, you may have to do a manual backup and transfer. 

‣ Open Settings menu in WhatsApp. 
‣ Tap Chats and calls.
‣ Tap Chat backup

If you have been using an SD card on your old android phone and wish to use a similar external SD card on the new phone, you can backup WhatsApp chats to the SD card. You can put it into the new phone. Restoring from the SD card to a new phone and the newly installed WhatsApp is that simple.

However, if the phones are to save on their internal memory, as is the case of new devices, you can connect the smartphone to your laptop or PC with a USB cable. 

✔ Then, you go to the memory of the phone and to the folder called WhatsApp/ Database. All your backup files will be saved as encrypted files here. 
✔ Copy the file with its most recent creation date and load it into the laptop or PC. 
✔ Make sure that it is being placed in a location that is easy to find. 
✔ Install WhatsApp on your new phone. (do not start the app now).
✔ Connect your new phone to the laptop using a USB cable.
✔ Find the WhatsApp database folder. If you are not able to find it, create a new folder.
✔ Copy the WhatsApp chat backup file onto this folder.
✔ Only after the last step should you start WhatsApp on your new device and you will be asked to verify the phone number. You will get notified that the backup file has been found. 
✔ Tap Restore. Within a few seconds, all of your chats will show on your new phone. 

1. How to transfer WhatsApp contacts from android to iPhone?

Install the Export Contacts For WhatsApp from the PlayStore.
Start the installation on your device.
Finally, type the desired filename and tap on Export.
There is one limitation though, you can’t export over 100 contacts on the free version of the app.

2. How to use WhatsApp on two numbers on your phone at the same time?

On an Android phone, you would have been asked if you wanted to use a secondary account when you were installing WhatsApp. If you missed saying yes then, you can do it manually.
1. Go to ‘Settings’
2. Click on ‘Advanced Features’ 
3. Select ‘Dual Messenger’. 
Select which app you wish to clone. The cloned app will appear on the launcher with a badge. You can maintain two distinct contact lists for the two apps.

3. How to download WhatsApp chat history?

WhatsApp has an Export option that allows you to export a copy of the entire chat history.
Open WhatsApp
Open the individual or group chat.
Choose more options by clicking on More
Select Export chat
Choose to export with media or without media as you prefer.

4. How to recover deleted WhatsApp chats from google drive?

Restoring deleted WhatsApp chats from Google Drive backup is simple. Take the following steps:

First, uninstall the app and reinstall WhatsApp.
Open WhatsApp and confirm to verify your number.
Tap RESTORE, when you are prompted, to restore your media and chats from Google Drive.
Once the restoration is complete, tap NEXT. 
WhatsApp will start restoring all your chats.
While chats are being restored, the media files will be getting restored in the background.

5. How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages if there is no backup file?

WhatsApp messages are encrypted end-to-end. You will be asked to confirm if you wish to delete a selected message. It is to ensure that you are not accidentally deleting it. But, once you hit delete, WhatsApp conversations are permanently gone since all the messages are stored on the phone. 

However, there are tools available to rescue your WhatsApp chat data. WhatsApp messages recovery software tools work on both iPhones and Android phones. You may need to download these tools on your laptop/ PC and connect your device with a USB cable. It will allow you to select ‘recover from the device’.  You can scan the deleted data on your device. You also have the option to select data from multiple apps. Selecting WhatsApp will allow you to preview all WhatsApp conversations, and select those messages you want to recover.

If you are still unable to find the deleted data, it has been overwritten by new data and the old data is permanently gone.

Wrapping Up

Whether you are buying a new phone or changing operating systems between an android and iPhone, retaining the contacts and WhatsApp chat history has become vital to continued WhatsApp use. Many people have moved to WhatsApp for personal as well as business purposes.

Therefore, learning how to transfer WhatsApp chats is necessary for continuing with WhatsApp as the main tool for communication. With the above helpful tips on WhatsApp data backup and recovery, you should have a smooth and seamless transition between devices.

About the Author

Neha Pik

Neha Tiwari, Member at Homezilla.in

Neha is the one who is aware of current trends and best practices in our desi community. She also helps and educates people looking for a solution to their problems via online. Her work has been published on countless blogs and notable magazines.