WhatsApp Testing Ability to Transfer Chats Between iOS and Android

[MacRumors]

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will allow users to transfer their chat history, logs, and transcripts between iOS and Android devices, making it easier for WhatsApp users to switch between the two platforms.

The new future, in the early stages of development, was brought to light by WABetaInfo, who often shares unreleased and hidden features behind the chatting service. According to the WhatsApp specialist, a future update will allow users to transfer their chats from an iOS device to an Android device and vice versa, as long as both phones have the latest version of WhatsApp.

In case an app is not running the latest version, WhatApps will prompt users to update their app before being able to transfer their chats, according to a screenshot provided by WABetaInfo. Currently, there is no way to transfer chats between iOS and Android, making it hard for customers of both ecosystems to switch over.

On iOS, WhatsApp uses iCloud to backup user data, making it easy to switch to a new iPhone and restore WhatsApp history. On Android, WhatsApp uses Google Drive for backing up and restoring. Other features WhatsApp is testing include password-protected iCloud backups, self-destructing images, and the ability to link one WhatsApp account to up to four devices.

Update: Images and a video shared by WABetaInfo show a new "Move chats to Android" option in WhatsApp for iOS and outline how the process takes place.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1420313526757957636

Article Link: WhatsApp Testing Ability to Transfer Chats Between iOS and Android

 

[Cleartz]

Surprised Mark would allow something like this to happen

 

[ian87w]

Long time coming, and should’ve been out eons ago. Hopefully this feature will become a reality, and not in perpetual beta/testing.

 

[ian87w]

Surprised Mark would allow something like this to happen

Mark only cares about your contacts, which he already has. The fact that it took this long for this kind of transfer to come means it’s not a priority at all.

 

[Basic75]

Surprised Mark would allow something like this to happen

Why would he care about which platform you are using? He's interested in selling your data, not in selling you a particular phone.

 

[ChrisERoots]

My god. I was attempting this yesterday for the Mrs and my head was hurting. Tried using some third party software and gave up there’s just too many steps and it all seemed a bit clumsy... It’s pretty disgusting that it’s not possible as standard. I’m glad this is in the works.

 

[tann]

My god. I was attempting this yesterday for the Mrs and my head was hurting. Tried using some third party software and gave up there’s just too many steps and it all seemed a bit clumsy... It’s pretty disgusting that it’s not possible as standard. I’m glad this is in the works.

The only ways to do it are via third party paid desktop apps, I've done it recently twice and it does work, but it does have a few steps involved. Really basic feature they need to implement.

 

[Villarrealadrian]

Took them forever!

 

[contacos]

Now let me sign in to multiple devices please! Some people have more than one phone

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

This would be a great feature. I love What’s up App.

 

[Powerguru]

Oh lord! Another land mine of a app by little mischievous Mark. Just show us any advt. on WhatsApp and force us to click. Will you!

 

[zoker715]

iPad support plz. My god... should not take that long....

 

[Mettwurst]

No Problem, I just deleted Whatsapp, Telegram for the win! It even functions on a iPad natively

 

[cicalinarrot]

No Problem, I just deleted Whatsapp, Telegram for the win! It even functions on a iPad natively

I spent months to convince my friends Telegram was much better to do the same. They store your stuff, the desktop app is better and doesn't depend on your phone, it works from any browser...

 

[davcole]

iPad support plz. My god... should not take that long....

That's my greatest complaint! Doesn't seem so hard to do!

 

[LeadingHeat]

What’s app? Never heard of her.

 

[Octopuss]

Wow, their RnD must have finished secondary school already. Time flies fast.

 

[ian87w]

No Problem, I just deleted Whatsapp, Telegram for the win! It even functions on a iPad natively

I actually see Telegram being worst than whatsapp now. Telegram pros are multi device login support and cloud based chat history. However, it only enables encryption if you use secret chat, not by default. And telegram has inconsistent policies in deleting public groups.

Whatsapp is far from great, but at least they enabled end to end encryption on chats by default.

 

[MacBH928]

Wasted effort as people will hopefully be moving to Signal once they enforce their new data sharing with FaceBook in early May.

 

[acalegari]

One thing iMessage does very well is multiple devices. It’s secure and persistent across Mac, iPad, iPhone. Apple should introduce it for android and PC so it kills WhatsApp for good

 

[calstanford]

Whatsapp is such an awful service. Easily the worst of all messenger clients. They don't have an iPad app even (unlike their corporate cousin Facebook Messenger, unlike Telegram, of course iMessage etc). But somehow they got popular with the cheap Android phone crowd, so here I am, forced to use it.

 

[GigabitEthernet]

A genuinely good idea, whatever you think of Facebook.

Posts about Facebook are becoming tiring to be honest, Apple can do no wrong and Facebook is Evil Inc.

 

[rumr46556]

Few years back that so many users wanted to use Android phone because of the large screen, which those people wanted to transfer WhatsApp chat from iOS to Android. But it cannot simply transfer. Then third-party tools arised because of this. Right now the WhatsApp developer FB make an official tools for transfer because they wants to bend the App Tracking Transparency rules on iOS 14.5 which Android platform has no such restrictions.

 

[ikir]

Too late

 

[bpp85]

Whatsapp is such an awful service. Easily the worst of all messenger clients. They don't have an iPad app even (unlike their corporate cousin Facebook Messenger, unlike Telegram, of course iMessage etc). But somehow they got popular with the cheap Android phone crowd, so here I am, forced to use it.

It’s not just cheap Android crowd, in Europe people with iPhones use it as well, it became number one messaging app and it’s now unfortunately the default messaging app in Europe. I know people with iPhones who don’t even have iMessage turned on which sucks.