There is a lot to love about the latest iPhone 14 series. But if you are planning to switch from Android to iPhone, you'll need to transfer contacts, pictures, messages, call history, bookmarks, and chat history from essential apps like WhatsApp. Apple offers a neat Move to iOS tool to make the transfer process easier for Android users, but it's hit or miss and doesn’t always work with WhatsApp transfer.

If you continue to run into errors with Move to iOS, there is an alternative. You can use iToolab WatsGo to transfer WhatsApp to a new phone. We will first explore Apple’s Move to iOS solution and its limitations, and move to iToolab WatsGo to complete the WhatsApp transfer process in no time.

What is Move to iOS for WhatsApp transfer and why you might run into problems

Move to iOS is an Android app from Apple to migrate your content automatically and securely from an Android to an iPhone. The app transfers contacts, message history, camera photos and videos, email accounts, calendars, and WhatsApp content.

Sitting at a below-average 3.1 user rating on the Google Play Store, many have reported errors while transferring WhatsApp and other content to iPhone. Additionally, the app has several requirements to successfully transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone, including:

  • The latest WhatsApp build on iPhone and Android — iOS 15.5 and above
  • Your iPhone must be factory reset or reset to factory settings before starting the transfer process
  • You must connect both phones to a power source
  • Both the Android and iPhone must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network
  • You must use the same mobile number on WhatsApp

Keeping the requirements in mind, follow the steps below to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone using Move to iOS.

  1. Download and open Move to iOS app on your Android phone.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions.
  3. Your iPhone will display a verification code. Enter it on your Android phone.
  4. Hit Continue.
  5. Select WhatsApp to start the transfer process.

Once the app transfers WhatsApp data, use the same mobile number on WhatsApp for iOS to log in.

Issues with Move to iOS

  • If you don’t have a factory new iPhone, you must erase all data on your phone and start the WhatsApp transfer process.
  • The app won’t migrate WhatsApp call history or display name.
  • Some WhatsApp data cannot be fully migrated. Users complained that “WhatsApp stickers were missed after transferring," for example.
  • The WhatsApp transfer gets stuck at 97% when importing WhatsApp data.
  • You need to delete some large media files before transferring in order to improve the transfer success rate.
  • It's a time-consuming process, and it usually takes you more than 30 minutes to transfer 1GB of data.

Many users have reported inconsistent progress bars and WhatsApp transfer failures when the iPhone or Android screen goes to sleep. Such issues will likely confuse you, and if you try again, you may end up with duplicate content on your new iPhone.

If Move to iOS isn’t working, you can try restarting both phones and even turning on and off Airplane mode to troubleshoot network glitches.

Best alternative to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone

As you can see, Apple’s Move to iOS app comes with many requirements and several head-scratching cons. While the web is packed with dozens of WhatsApp transfer tools, we have picked a third-party software with a high success rate of up to 90%, wide device compatibility, and an easy-to-use interface. Meet iToolab WatsGo - WhatsApp Transfer, Backup & Restore, which transfers WhatsApp data from Android to iPhone without breaking a sweat.

WatsGo isn’t only limited to transferring WhatsApp data from Android to iPhone, either. You can easily transfer WhatsApp data from your old iPhone to a new Android one, too, without needing to deal with Google Drive or iCloud to back up WhatsApp data. Before we check WatsGo in action, let’s quickly glance over all the major features.

  • Works with WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business
  • Offers one-click transfer between Android and iOS
  • Includes all WhatsApp data types like messages, images, videos, contacts, etc, and you can select the data you want to transfer
  • Smooth WhatsApp transfer without getting stuck
  • Large media files are well-supported to be transferred
  • The ability to back up and restore WhatsApp data
  • Preview and restore WhatsApp backup or iTunes backup

How to use WatsGo to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone

You can follow the steps to transfer your data using WatsGo in the video below, or follow the steps.

  1. Download and install WatsGo on your desktop. The software is available on Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.
  2. Launch WatsGo.
  3. Select WhatsApp from the left sidebar and click Start.
    transfer-whatsapp-Android-iOS-1
    Source: iToolab
  4. Grab a data cable and connect your iPhone and Android phone to the computer. We advise using the original data cable for an error-free transfer process.
    transfer-whatsapp-Android-iOS-2
    Source: iToolab

There are different requirements for Android and iPhone to be recognized by the PC. You must authorize a USB connection on your Android phone and tap Trust from the Trust your computer dialog box on your iPhone for a successful connection. You should also disable the Find My function on your iPhone.

  1. Check the source and destination device on the screen. Click Transfer and select Continue.
    transfer-whatsapp-Android-iOS-3
    Source: iToolab
  2. Select the radio button beside the WhatsApp data you want to transfer to the destination device. The software will transfer your messages by default. You can leave out documents, voice notes, and other media per your preference.
    transfer-whatsapp-Android-iOS-4
    Source: iToolab
  3. Follow on-screen instructions to enable end-to-end encrypted WhatsApp backup on Android. Make sure to take a screenshot to save the encrypted WhatsApp backup passcode.
    transfer-whatsapp-Android-iOS-5
    Source: iToolab
  4. Once the software generates WhatsApp backup, verify the 64-bit backup with a password.
    transfer-whatsapp-Android-iOS-6
    Source: iToolab
  5. WatsGo will start the WhatsApp transfer process from Android to iPhone.
    watsgo-transfer
    Source: iToolab

Once the WhatsApp transfer process completes, your iPhone will be rebooted. Open WhatsApp on your iPhone, log in with the same mobile number, and check all your data from the main chat menu.

The advantages of using WatsGo

  • Multidirectional transfer process. Besides WhatsApp transfer from Android to iPhone, WatsGo works with iPhone to iPhone and Android to Android, too.
  • Faster transfer speeds than Move to iOS app. Migrates WhatsApp data at 10MB/s.
  • Smooth transfer process without glitches and interruptions.
  • Compatible with up to 6,000+ Android devices from Huawei, Samsung, OnePlus, Google, Xiaomi, Oppo, and more.
  • Transfers more than 20 WhatsApp data types, including pictures, videos, contacts, stickers, messages, and others.
  • Compatible with the latest Android 13 and iOS 16.
  • Works well with the newest iPhone 14 series.

WatsGo pricing

WatsGo one-month plan starts at $16.95. You can get a yearly plan at $29.95 and enjoy massive savings. If you aren’t a fan of subscriptions, get the WatsGo lifetime license for only $39.95. The company is also offering a 30% discount on all plans. Simply apply the WATSNEW03 discount code during the checkout process.

WhatsApp transfer is no longer a headache on Android

Gone are the days when we had to rely on inconvenient and unorthodox methods to transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Android. iToolab's WatsGo software makes the entire transfer process seamless. What are your waiting for? Grab a subscription or lifetime deal and start using WhatsApp on your new iPhone.

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