What you need to know
- WhatsApp has announced a new feature that makes transferring chats between devices easier.
- The new feature allows users to scan QR codes from older devices to quickly transfer chats and media.
- The process is more straightforward and fully encrypted.
- The feature should be rolling out now to Android and iOS devices.
WhatsApp has announced that it is making it easier for users who wish to transfer chats between devices, including videos and photos, by simply scanning a QR code.
The announcement came from Meta’s founder Mark Zuckerberg who shared a video showcasing the process of transferring chats between devices. According to Zuckerberg, the new transfer method is more straightforward and secure, and the transfer happens only between the devices and is promised to be end-to-end encrypted as well.
The video demonstrates the nifty process where a new handset with WhatsApp scans a QR code displayed on the old handset. When allowed, the data transfer takes place without the need to access cloud backups and is fully encrypted.
📱📲 Now you can transfer your full chat history seamlessly, quickly and securely across the same operating systems without ever having to leave the app. Out today 👀 pic.twitter.com/UqNpyw8bCCJune 30, 2023
Currently, WhatsApp users only have the option to back up their chats and attachments to their cloud storage, which is Google Drive for Android devices and iCloud storage for iOS. Both of these also have limited storage unless you pay for the extra storage, which often tends to get full when you have higher WhatsApp data backup (as well as anything else you might have in the cloud).
Additionally, backing up and restoring the data on your devices can be tedious sometimes, and the new process aims to solve them with a simpler process.
The new method is applicable for users transferring between Android handsets or iOS devices, but the method can’t be used for cross-device transfers. However, there are ways to transfer WhatsApp chats from iOS to Android (which also involved a QR code) and vice versa.
According to WhatsApp’s Tweet, the feature should be available for users now. If available, you can access the feature by navigating to WhatsApp’s Settings > Chats > Transfer Chats on the old device and scanning the QR code on the new handset.