WhatsApp users can soon transfer chats to another phone without using Google Drive

WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature that would eliminate the need for backing up chats to Google Drive for transfers. A new beta version is now available with an improved tool to transfer chats from one phone to another without involving Google Drive, making it easy when you have to migrate your WhatsApp account from an old phone to a new one.

New WhatsApp feature

According to WABetaInfo, the Meta-owned chat app is finally ditching Google Drive for chat transfers. While backing up your chats to Google Drive will possibly continue to be an option, transferring the chat history when switching phones will have a new option to use a QR code. The WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.49.9.19 has a new QR code-based chat transfer tool where you can simply point the old phone’s camera and start chat transfers, without hogging any space on Google Drive.

No Google Drive

You could entirely ditch backing up your data to Google Drive and save space. Google Drive previously announced that all WhatsApp backups will be counted against the allocated space to a user. If you wanted to transfer chats between two Android phones, Google Drive was crucial before WhatsApp streamlined the process with the new chat transfer tool. However, the new method is a bit complex compared to backing up chat history to Google Drive from an old phone and retrieving it on the new phone to restore the chats. It also needs a cable to work properly.

The upcoming tool should circumvent all the odd steps just to transfer chats between two Android devices. It is currently available only in beta and there is no word on when the general public will get it.

iOS users already have it

Android users already have some tools to transfer chats, and while the upcoming QR code-based tool will simplify the process, iPhone users have had it for a while. Other than using iCloud to migrate chats between two iPhones, users can simply scan the QR code on an old iPhone from their new device to fetch the chats.