WhatsApp chat backup: How to backup WhatsApp chat on Android mobile phone and iPhone using Google Drive, iCloud, and more

WhatsApp chat backup comes in handy when you are setting up the account on a new device or on the same device where it was logged in previously. The feature stores all the data, including WhatsApp messages, photos, videos, and more on the cloud. This ensures that you don’t lose access to your chats even if the app gets deleted from your mobile phone. If you want to backup WhatsApp chat but don’t know how, fret not, we have got you covered. Below is an easy step-by-step guide on how to backup/ restore WhatsApp chat on Android mobile phones and iPhones.

What is WhatsApp chat backup?

WhatsApp chat backup is a way of storing your WhatsApp data such as messages, photos and videos in a personal online vault known as cloud storage. Provided you have a stable internet connection, all your data stored in the cloud storage can be restored at any given point in time. All in all, the main purchase of backing up WhatsApp chats is to protect your data in case the device you’re using breaks down, gets lost or is stolen. In that case, all the precious data can be retrieved in a few simple steps if it’s backed up to the cloud i.e. Google Drive and iCloud in the case of Android and iOS respectively.

WhatsApp offers a chat backup option while setting up the account. However, in case you missed that, you can enable it from the messaging platform Settings menu as well. Here are all the details:

How to backup WhatsApp chat to Google Drive from Android mobile phone

To backup your WhatsApp chats on Android, make sure you’re signed into your primary Google account on your device. This is because WhatsApp relies on Google Drive to store your data in the cloud. Furthermore, the data backed up doesn’t count towards the basic G Drive storage you get with a Google account i.e. 15GB. With that out of the way, here’s how to backup WhatsApp chat from an Android mobile phone.

how-to-take-whatsapp-backup-on-Android
  • Open WhatsApp on your Android phone
  • Tap on the ‘3-dot’ menu on the top right corner
  • Select ‘Settings’ among the options that appear
  • Now select ‘Chats’
  • Then scroll down and select ‘Chat backup’
  • Under Google Drive settings, select your preferred Google account you want the chats to backup to (if you signed in to more than 1 Google account on your phone)
  • Now to back up your chats, select the ‘BACK UP’ button
  • Alternatively, you can automate this whole process by tweaking the chat backup settings such as the frequency to back up the chats and whether to include videos or not.

How to restore WhatsApp chat from Google Drive on Android

In case you’ve bought a new Android phone or factory reset your current phone, getting back all your chats is straightforward and as simple as installing WhatsApp. Just make sure you’ve properly signed to your Google account in which the WhatsApp backup is stored. That said, here’s how you can restore your WhatsApp chats from Google Drive.

  • Head over to the Play Store and download WhatsApp. Alternatively, you can click here for the same.
  • Once installed, open WhatsApp
  • Enter your phone number used for WhatsApp to receive an OTP
  • Once received, enter the OTP and wait for it to automatically detect a chat backup
  • Select the chat backup and the restoration will be initiated. It may take several minutes to fully restore your chats
  • Once done, you can start enjoying WhatsApp with all the prior chats

This same process can be followed if you feel WhatsApp is not behaving properly on your device and is giving issues that ultimately require a reinstall of the app.

How to backup WhatsApp chat on iPhone using iCloud

Just like Android, backing up WhatsApp chats on iPhone is similar, just the difference is all your data gets stored on iCloud instead of Google Drive. But prior to following the below-mentioned steps, make sure you’ve given access to WhatsApp to backup data through iCloud. This setting can be found in your Apple ID under iCloud.

how to take whatsapp backup on iPhone
  • Open WhatsApp on your iPhone
  • Tap on ‘Settings’ tab on the bottom left
  • Select ‘Chats’
  • Now select ‘Chats Backup’
  • If you’re signed in to your iCloud account and have given all the permissions, there will be an option saying ‘Back Up Now’. Select it to initiate the back up
  • Alternatively, you can automate this whole process by tweaking the chat backup settings such as the frequency to back up the chats and whether to include videos or not.

How to restore WhatsApp chat on iPhone

To restore WhatsApp chats, simply install WhatsApp on your new iPhone or reinstall it in case you’ve factory reset your current iPhone. Here’s how to do it.

  • Head over to the App Store and download WhatsApp. Alternatively, you can click here for the same
  • Once installed, open WhatsApp on your iPhone and select ‘Agree & Continue’
  • Now enter your phone number previously used with WhatsApp to receive an OTP
  • Enter the OTP to verify your phone number and wait for it to automatically detect a backup for restore
  • Once a chat backup is found, hit the ‘Restore Chat History’ button. This will take several minutes to restore depending on the size of the backup

FAQs

How to restore WhatsApp chat backup from iPhone to Android

At the moment, the only brands that allow WhatsApp chat backups from an iPhone to Android are Samsung and Google (that too on Android 12). Meaning if you’re thinking of switching to a non-Samsung or non-Pixel device you’re out of luck to carry forward your data to the new Android device.

Also read: WhatsApp: How to transfer WhatsApp chat history data from iPhone to Android mobile phone

That said, a more refined solution to transfer your chats between both the operating systems is in the pipeline and will soon be rolled out in the coming months, as per WhatsApp.

Can you backup WhatsApp chat backup to Google Drive from iPhone?

It is impossible to backup WhatsApp chats to Google Drive on an iPhone despite having the Google Drive app installed. This is simply because Apple only relies on its own cloud-based storage solution called iCloud and prevents even third parties such as WhatsApp from using non-Apple cloud storage. iPhone users have no option but to use iCloud which only comes with a 5GB of storage option by default.