Losing years of WhatsApp conversations — photos, videos, voice messages, work chats — is one of the most painful digital accidents there is. Luckily WhatsApp offers a built-in automatic backup, different depending on whether you’re on Android or iPhone, and it’s worth checking it’s actually turned on before you ever need it.

Backup on Android (Google Drive)

  1. Open WhatsApp and tap the three dots in the top right (or your profile icon, depending on the version) → Settings.
  2. Go to Chats → Chat backup.
  3. Tap Back up to Google Drive and choose the frequency: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly — daily is the safest choice if you text a lot.
  4. Select the Google account to save the backup to and confirm the requested permissions.
  5. Tap the green Back up button to run one manually right away, on top of the automatic ones already scheduled.

Backup on iPhone (iCloud)

  1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings → Chats → Chat Backup.
  2. Tap Back Up Now for an immediate backup, or set the automatic frequency (Daily, Weekly, or Monthly) from the same screen.
  3. Make sure your iPhone has iCloud turned on and enough free space (Settings → [your name] → iCloud).

How to restore a backup on a new phone

When you install WhatsApp on a new phone running the same operating system as your old one, the app automatically detects the available backup on Google Drive (Android) or iCloud (iPhone) during phone number verification, and offers to restore it before you even start using the app. Just confirm and wait for the download.

Note: an Android backup does not restore on an iPhone, and vice versa — they’re completely incompatible formats. If you’re switching operating systems (not just phones), the cloud backup alone isn’t enough: you need WhatsApp’s direct migration tool, built into Move to iOS (Android → iPhone) or Switch to Android (iPhone → Android), which transfers chats by connecting the two phones via cable during the new device’s setup. We cover this in our guide on how to transfer data from Android to iPhone.

Bottom line

Turn on automatic backup on both platforms as soon as you install WhatsApp — don’t wait until you need it to find out it wasn’t on. If you’re switching phones but staying on the same operating system, the cloud backup is enough on its own; if you’re switching from Android to iPhone or vice versa, remember you need the direct transfer tool, not the backup.