Keep your dataFor sellers3 min read
How to back up WhatsApp chats before selling
Back up WhatsApp to Google on Android or iCloud on iPhone, or move chats straight to your new phone. Check the last backup date before you reset the old one.
In short
- On Android, back up to your Google account. On iPhone, back up to iCloud. Both are under
Settings > Chats > Chat backupin WhatsApp. - Moving to a new phone of the same type? WhatsApp can transfer chats directly from the old phone.
- Before you reset the old phone, check the date and time of the last backup.
01Choose your route
A factory reset deletes WhatsApp and every chat on the phone. Your messages are safe only if they're backed up to the cloud, or already moved to your new phone. How you do that depends on which phones you're moving between.
| From | To | Best route |
|---|---|---|
| Android | Android | Google backup, or Transfer chats directly between the phones |
| iPhone | iPhone | iCloud backup, or a direct chat transfer between the phones |
| Android | iPhone | Apple's Move to iOS app while you set up the iPhone |
| iPhone | Android | The WhatsApp transfer option offered while you set up the Android phone |
02Back up on Android
- 01
Open chat backup
In WhatsApp, open
Settings > Chats > Chat backup. - 02
Choose your account
Pick the Google account to back up to, and decide whether to include videos. Videos make the backup much bigger.
- 03
Back up now
Tap
Back up. Use Wi-Fi, and keep the phone charging if the backup is large.
WhatsApp on Android also keeps a daily backup file on the phone itself, in the WhatsApp/Databases folder (inside Android/media/com.whatsapp on newer phones). A factory reset deletes it, so copy it to a computer first if you want to keep it. For most people, the Google backup is simpler.
03Back up on iPhone
- 01
Check iCloud
Make sure you're signed in to iCloud with your Apple Account and that iCloud Drive is switched on. You'll find both under
Settings > [your name] > iCloud. - 02
Open chat backup
In WhatsApp, open
Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. - 03
Back up now
Tap
Back Up Now. You need enough free space in iCloud and on the iPhone itself.
04Encrypted backup
Backups in Google or iCloud aren't covered by WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption unless you turn it on. You can do that under Settings > Chats > Chat backup > End-to-end encrypted backup, and protect the backup with a password or a 64-digit encryption key. Nobody, including WhatsApp, can read the backup without it.
05Check before you reset
- In
Settings > Chats > Chat backup, the last backup is from today. - The backup went to the Google account or Apple Account you'll use on the new phone.
- If you used a direct transfer, your chats and photos show up in WhatsApp on the new phone.
- You have the SIM for your WhatsApp number. You'll verify the number on the new phone with a code sent by SMS or call.
06At the shop counter
Finish moving WhatsApp before you go to sell. Once a shop has bought the phone, it will usually be reset, and anything left on it is gone for good.
When you sell through a Recashy partner shop, you confirm the sale with an OTP sent to your own mobile number, so keep your SIM in a phone you have with you.
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