WhatsApp has been undergoing a significant change since Meta took over. The giant social media company has introduced various features to cope with rival apps. The company is working on a feature to allow users to video call with up to 32 people. The introduction of the upcoming feature will let people stick with the app for most purposes. A new method of WhatsApp chat transfer was spotted in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.9.19. The latest feature removed the necessity of Google Drive backup to move chats between devices. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, has announced that users can privately move their WhatsApp chats securely to a smartphone using a QR code.
WhatsApp Chat Transfer Using QR Code
Meta announced that the new chat transfer feature would work between smartphones running on the same OS. The company has already introduced features that allow users to transfer WhatsApp chats between iOS and Android smartphones and vice versa. Earlier, WhatsApp users were required to transfer files locally to other smartphones. The method wasn’t safe since the data could be transferred to any smartphone or misused. The other way to share chats between smartphones was using Google Drive.
Meta hasn’t removed the feature to backup WhatsApp chats to Google Drive. The users can still retrieve their conversations from old smartphones using Google Drive if they have lost or damaged their old smartphones. The latest feature requires both smartphones running on the same OS (either iOS or Android) to connect to the same Wi-Fi network. Here are the steps to transfer WhatsApp chats locally using the new QR code method.
- Once connected to the same Wi-Fi network, ensure the location has been turned on both smartphones.
- Navigate to Settings > Chats > Chat Transfer on the old smartphone.
- Scan the QR code using the new smartphone to transfer the complete chats.
Mark Zuckerberg just announced that you can privately move your WhatsApp chats to a new phone!
This feature was previously announced on WABetaInfo and since this is an official announcement, it means it's finally rolling out to everyone! pic.twitter.com/hYfpx7i57C— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) June 30, 2023
The social media giant adds that the WhatsApp chat transfer is entirely secure, and the data is fully encrypted while transferring between two smartphones. WhatsApp recently introduced a companion mode where people can connect their WhatsApp accounts to other devices. The feature will allow users to use WhatsApp on different devices without the need for an active internet connection on the primary smartphone.
WhatsApp has also been working to improve the privacy of its users. The company recently announced a feature that will silence calls from unknown numbers. The introduction of the feature was a response to the scam calls faced by many users worldwide. WhatsApp also introduced a call-back alert for missed call notifications within the chat box for WhatsApp Web. Apart from increasing the number of persons in video calls, the company also tested support for screen sharing features to take on Google Meet and Zoom.
