If your old phone still turns on, it may hold messages your new one never received. WhatsApp keeps your chats on your phone and deletes messages from its servers once they’re delivered, so that phone or a backup may be the only copy. Before you try anything, don’t reset the old phone, don’t uninstall WhatsApp on it and don’t make a new backup.
Why messages go missing
- You moved to a new phone without transferring your chats.
- You restored an old backup, which left out everything after it.
- You’re looking on a computer. WhatsApp says not all messages are synced to linked devices, and “to see or search your full history, check your phone”.
Knowing which one applies tells you where to look. If you’re not sure, compare your export with your phone, as explained in the WhatsApp export limit.
Route 1: Export from the old phone
This is the safest option if you want to read and keep the messages. Nothing changes on either phone.
- Charge the old phone, connect it to Wi-Fi and open WhatsApp.
- Open the chat you want and export it, with media.
- Send the file to yourself, such as by email or to a cloud drive.
- Repeat for each chat you need.
Do this soon. WhatsApp says removing a SIM doesn’t automatically sign you out, but also that an active SIM is required to keep access. If you lose the SIM and start using a new one, WhatsApp says you might stay logged in for a short period. We found nothing official on exporting from a phone with no SIM, so try it and check the file.
Remember that an export can’t be loaded back into WhatsApp. You’ll have a file to read and keep, separate from your chats.
If the old phone has been signed out
This is what usually happens once you’ve registered your number on a new phone. WhatsApp says you’re logged out of the old phone, but “your chats will remain on the device”. Its page on inactive accounts says that when someone registers again on the same device, their “locally stored content will reappear”. It doesn’t say this about a phone signed out by a new registration, so treat these steps as something to try. WhatsApp also warns that if you switch devices often, “you may be blocked from re-verifying your account”.
You may be able to get them back like this:
- Back up your current phone first. You’re about to sign it out.
- Export anything important from your current phone too.
- Put your SIM in the old phone and verify your number in WhatsApp.
- Check your chats have reappeared, then export what you need.
- Move the SIM back and verify on your current phone. Check your chats are all there.
You need your phone number to verify. WhatsApp says you must have the SIM, though you may be able to get a code by email if you added an address earlier. If you’ve lost the number and can’t verify, WhatsApp says the account can’t be recovered.
Route 2: Move your whole history across
Use this if your new phone is new, or doesn’t have chats you need to keep.
| Moving | How | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Same type of phone | On Android, Settings, Chats, Transfer chats. On iPhone, your profile picture, Chats, Transfer Chats to iPhone. | Same number on both. Don’t register the new phone until you start. |
| Android to iPhone | Apple’s Move to iOS app. | The iPhone must be new or factory reset. Old and new history can’t be merged. |
| iPhone to Android | Chats, Transfer chat history, Transfer to Android. | The Android phone must be new or factory reset. |
If your new phone already holds months of chats, export those before you transfer anything.
Route 3: Restore a backup
A backup won’t open like a normal file, as our article on reading a WhatsApp backup explains, so you have to restore it.
A backup needs the same phone number and the same type of phone. WhatsApp says you can’t restore an Android backup on an iPhone or the other way round.
Four things can catch you out:
- Newer messages are lost. “Any messages sent and received after the latest backup can’t be restored.” Export your current chats first.
- There’s only one backup. Google, iCloud and WhatsApp cloud storage each keep one per number or account, and making a new one permanently replaces the old one.
- Old backups may fail. WhatsApp says restoring a backup more than 120 days old may not be possible.
- Google may delete it. Backups that haven’t been updated in five months may be removed automatically.
When none of this works
Ask the other person. They have their own copy of the chat, and they can export it for you. Our page on WhatsApp export problems covers this too.
Once you have the files
Keep each ZIP as WhatsApp made it, in two places. You can open each one on Chatonfile.com to read, search and filter it for free on your device, and to see exactly which dates it covers. Each export makes its own PDF if you want one on paper.
Common questions
Can I get WhatsApp messages from an old phone without the SIM?
Possibly, if WhatsApp is still signed in. WhatsApp says removing a SIM doesn't automatically sign you out, but that an active SIM is needed to keep access. Export what you need straight away, because that access may not last.
Can I merge old WhatsApp chats into my new phone?
Generally no. A transfer or a restore replaces what's on the new phone, and WhatsApp says the Android to iPhone route can't merge old and new history. Export your current chats first, so you have a copy of both.
Are my old WhatsApp messages stored on WhatsApp's servers?
WhatsApp deletes messages from its servers once they're delivered. Your history is on your phone and in any backup you made, including WhatsApp's own encrypted cloud storage if you use it.
Why does my export start years after the chat did?
An export only holds what's on that phone. If you moved phones without transferring your chats, or restored an old backup, the earlier messages may be on the old phone. It could also be an export limit.
