WhatsApp now allows users to transfer chats from old to new phone without cloud backup, here is how

WhatsApp is now making it easier for users to transfer WhatsApp chats, including messages and attachments, from old to new phones. The Meta-owned app recently launched a new Chat Transfer feature which allows users to transfer chats from one phone to another running on the same operating system. The new feature eliminates the dependency on cloud backup services like Google Drive and allows users to easily transfer their entire data with this dedicated in-app feature.

" The new process has the potential to be a lot quicker and easier than the existing cloud-based alternative, which involves backing up a history of your chats to iCloud or Google Drive and then downloading it to a new device. And it handily avoids any cloud storage limits you might run into if your chat and media backup is, for example, larger than the 5GB of free storage included with every iCloud account," said WhatsApp in its official statement.

Announcing the new Chat Transfer feature in WhatsApp, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on Facebook and wrote, "If you want to move your WhatsApp chats to a new phone, you can now do it more privately without your chats ever leaving your devices."

Zuckerberg also posted a short video with his post, demonstrating how the new feature works. Notably, WhatsApp's new chat transfer feature allows users to transfer chats between phones with the same operating system. That means you can transfer chats from Android to Android or iPhone to iPhone.

However, for transferring chats from iPhone to Android, there is a separate process.

Here is a quick guide on how to use the new transfer chat feature from WhatsApp:

How to transfer WhatsApp chats to new phone

To start chat transfer, ensure that both your old and new phones are physically with you and connected to Wi-Fi. Also, make sure that location services are enabled on both devices.

On you old phone:

• Now, turn on your old phone and open WhatsApp.
• Go to the Settings menu by tapping on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen.
• In the Settings menu, find and select the "Chats" option.
• Within the Chats settings, locate and select the "Chat transfer" option.
• The process will start and WhatsApp will generate a new QR code. You will have to scan this QR code to start the chat transfer.
• Next, open the WhatsApp app on your new phone.

On your new phone:

• Download WhatsApp app.
• Register with the same phone number.
• Now, from the new phone scan the QR code from the old phone. You can also go to chats to look for backup and the QR scan window will open.
• Once the QR code is successfully scanned, the chat transfer process will begin. It may take some time depending on the size of your chat history and the speed of your internet connection.
• Wait for the transfer process to complete. During this time, ensure that both devices remain connected to Wi-Fi and have sufficient battery life.
• Once the transfer is finished, you should see all your WhatsApp chats, messages, and attachments transferred to your new phone.

Assuring user privacy and data security, WhatsApp notes that during the transfer, "More secure than using unofficial third party apps which lack clear privacy practices, and more private than cloud services, the transfer process is authenticated with a QR code, data is only shared between your two devices, and is fully encrypted during transfer."