How to Back up WhatsApp Chats to Google Drive or ICloud
You should always back up your phone, and this is especially true if you are a big WhatsApp user. Since WhatsApp is not a cloud messaging service, everything you do is stored locally on your device. As a result, any disaster that happens to your device will also wipe out your entire conversation history.
Solution? You should also set up regular backups of your WhatsApp conversations. You can back up to iCloud (iOS) or Google Drive (Android), and if you’re using the latter, WhatsApp doesn’t even have to count towards your precious Google storage quota . Set up on any platform takes less than five minutes:
Backup WhatsApp Chats on iOS
Launch WhatsApp and click on ” Settings” in the lower right corner. Tap Chats and then tap Backup Chat . Click on the “Back up now” link to do so. But in reality, you should tap on Startup instead to set up a daily, weekly, or monthly download of your WhatsApp conversations to iCloud. (Be sure to also toggle Enable Video if you’re not overly concerned about space.)
Backup WhatsApp Chats on Android
Launch WhatsApp and tap the three dots icon in the upper right corner. Tap Settings , tap Chats, and tap Chat Backup . Before hitting the obvious “Back up” button to perform a one-time Google Cloud backup, make sure you click on the smaller “Back up to Google Drive” option below and change it from “Never” to “Only when I click Backup “, as a minimum. (You will also be setting up recurring backups here, and you should definitely use this option.)
Make sure you select the option to include videos if you also want to send them to the cloud. When you’re done with the settings, you can start your initial Google backup by clicking the turquoise Backup button.
How to Recover Chat History in WhatsApp
It’s easy. If you find yourself in a situation where you have to reinstall WhatsApp, you will be prompted to restore your saved chat history before you ever add it to the app. You cannot miss it:
Emily Price originally posted this article in August 2018. David Murphy rewrote it in 2020 to clarify settings for both platforms and add screenshots.