Every year, more than four million people switch from iOS to Android or vice versa. While some things are easier to migrate between the two ecosystems, moving WhatsApp data from iOS to Android is not as simple as we would like.
The reason behind this flaw is an incompatibility between the two proprietary backup technologies that Google and Apple are using.. Android backs up all data via Google Drive, while Apple uses iCloud for backup tasks, and that includes backing up WhatsApp chat history.
Instead of having your own cloud capabilities for backup purposes, WhatsApp relies on the default backup service of the operating system it runs on: iCloud on iOS and Drive on Android. Users can seamlessly transfer chat history, contacts and media from one iOS to another, but there is no official way to migrate WhatsApp data from iOS to Android. The same can be said for WhatsApp data transfer from Android to iOS.
Although Google has plans to bring Drive to iOS, there is no official release date yet and I don't see Apple adopting technology that is a direct iCloud competitor. Until the two tech giants find a solution, regular users will not have a direct way to transfer WhatsApp chat history from iOS to Android.
Despite what most similar articles claim, WhatsApp chats cannot be copied from iPhone to Android via WhatsApp chat backup. If you are looking for a solution that really works, you have come to the right place.
Follow the steps below to copy all WhatsApp data from iOS to Android. We will use a paid application, but I will include a link to the lite version in case you are not willing to spend any money.
How to migrate WhatsApp data from iPhone to Android
-
Connect iPhone to your computer and launch iTunes. Make sure your phone is recognized.
Note: If you don't have iTunes installed on your system, download it from here. -
Click on your device to open iPhone view. Scroll down to Backups and, in Automatic Backups, select This computer. In this point, it is very important to leave Encrypt iPhone backup OFF, otherwise the application that we will use below to migrate WhatsApp data will not be able to be extracted from the backup copy. Click Backup Now when it is. smart.
Note: The backup will take longer than 10 minutes. Your PC may freeze, but make sure not to disconnect your device during this period. -
Visit this link and download the latest version of Phone Backup Browser. Select the Downloads tab and click on the latest version of the software to download it.
-
Once the download is complete, extract the zip file somewhere where you can easily access it like on your desktop.
-
Double click iphonebackupbrowser.exe and wait until the software starts. It will take some time the first time it is run.
Note: If you receive an unhandled exception error, make sure iTunes backup is in C: Users * YourName * NAppDataRoamingNApple. -
Once the software is up and running, click the drop down button at the top and select the backup you just created.
-
Click the three-dot entry under Display Name. You will see a list with the options that are completed below.
-
Now, from the newly populated list, scroll down and click on ChatStorage.sqlite. This is the file that contains all the text backups of your WhatsApp conversations from your iPhone.
-
With ChatStorage.sqlite selected, go to the upper right section of the screen and click on the extraction icon. It will extract your WhatsApp chat conversations to C: temp.
-
Now, to extract the multimedia backup of your WhatsApp conversations, in Display name, scroll down and click net.whatsapp.WhatsApp. If you don't want to extract the backup from WhatsApp media, go to step 14.
-
Now go to the section below and click on the first entry that starts with Library / Media /.
-
With the first media file selected, hold the Shift key and scroll down to the last media file and select it. This will select all the media files from the backup you created earlier.
-
With all selected media files, click the extract icon (located in the upper right section of the screen) to extract all media files from WhatsApp to C: temp.
Note: Depending on the amount of media files you have in your backup, iPhone Backup Browser may not respond while request is being resolved. Don't panic if your system hangs or is unresponsive and don't try to force quit the software. You will know it is complete when the iPhone backup browser responds again. -
Once the process is complete, go to Local Disk (C :)> Temp> * YourName * iPhone $ 0027s and check if the extracted files are there.
-
Now connect your Android phone to your PC and make sure the connection mode is set to File Transfer (MTP) on your Android.
-
Once your Android device is recognized, go to This PC> * Your Android * and double click on Internal Storage.
-
Copy and paste the two folders from the Local Disk (C :)> Temp> * YourName * iPhone $ 0027 to This PC> * YourPhone *> Internal storage. The file explorer will ask you to resolve some folder substitution conflicts, accepting them all. Once the transfer is complete, disconnect your Android from PC.
-
On your phone, download and install Wazzap Migrator from Google Play Store. The app used to have a Lite version, but the author removed it from Google Play. The Pro version costs $ 2.99, but it also allows you to extract multimedia files. If you have the money, I suggest you buy the Pro version to help the developer.
Note: If you don't want to spend money, can get lite version, but you will have to do it from outside of Google Play. Just keep in mind that the Lite version will not allow you to extract the media files, only the backup chat.To avoid capturing malware, I suggest you download the Lite version through the Mobogenie store. It is free of malware, but it will quickly fill your device with adware, so make sure to uninstall it as soon as you are done with Wazzap Migrator. Here is a quick guide on installing the Lite version of Wazzap Migrator:
Visit this link from your phone and press the Download button.
While the file is downloading, go to Settings> Security and privacy> Additional settings and enable Unknown sources.
Open the .apk file you just downloaded and hit Install. Don't worry if it says Mobogenie, Wazzapp Migrator Lite is included with the Mobogenie package. It is just a marketing plan to force users to install your app from the store.
If for some reason Wazzap Migrator Lite is not installed together with the Mobogenie application, look in the store “Wazzap Migrator Lite” and click Install.
After installing Wazzapp Locator Lite on your Android device, you can uninstall Mobogenie. It is also recommended to go back to Settings> Security and privacy> Additional settings and disable Unknown sources.
-
Abra Wazzap Migrator Pro o Wazzap Migrator Lite. If the above steps were successful, will automatically detect the database. Touch the Play icon and then touch Yes to allow the application to search for the ChatStorage.sqlite file.
If you bought the Pro version, may display an error that says “IPhone media folder not found”. This is perfectly normal, you just need to tap on the three dots icon in the upper right corner and tap on Select Media Folder. From there, tap Entire system, scroll down and tap net.whatsapp.WhatsApp. With folder selected, click Select Library. -
Now that everything is in place, tap the Play button again and wait for the app to create a backup file that is readable by the Android version of WhatsApp.
Note: Depending on the size of your iPhone backup, this operation may take more than 2 hours. -
After receiving the message »Conversion successful«, go to Google Play Store and install the official version of WhatsApp.
-
Open WhatsApp and verify your number.
-
After your phone is verified, you should see a notice saying that a local backup has been found. Tap Restore and wait for the process to complete.
Note: If you don't have iTunes installed on your system, download it from here.
Note: The backup will take longer than 10 minutes. Your PC may freeze, but make sure not to disconnect your device during this period.
Note: If you receive an unhandled exception error, make sure iTunes backup is in C: Users * YourName * NAppDataRoamingNApple.
Note: If you don't want to spend money, can get lite version, but you will have to do it from outside of Google Play. Just keep in mind that the Lite version will not allow you to extract the media files, only the backup chat.
Open the .apk file you just downloaded and hit Install. Don't worry if it says Mobogenie, Wazzapp Migrator Lite is included with the Mobogenie package. It is just a marketing plan to force users to install your app from the store.
If for some reason Wazzap Migrator Lite is not installed together with the Mobogenie application, look in the store “Wazzap Migrator Lite” and click Install.
If you bought the Pro version, may display an error that says “IPhone media folder not found”. This is perfectly normal, you just need to tap on the three dots icon in the upper right corner and tap on Select Media Folder.
From there, tap Entire system, scroll down and tap net.whatsapp.WhatsApp. With folder selected, click Select Library.
Note: Depending on the size of your iPhone backup, this operation may take more than 2 hours.
I know it was a long and tedious process, but now it's finally over. You should be able to see all your WhatsApp chats and purchased media files that brought the Pro version). Although this process is quite complicated, still the only applicable and cost-effective way to migrate WhatsApp data from iOS to Android.
Related article:
Move WhatsApp chat history from Android to iOS
