BERLIN: When switching from an Android device to an iPhone, users can now automatically transfer their entire WhatsApp chat history to their new device, thanks to an app update by Apple.

While you previously had to fall back on apps from third parties, Apple’s “Move to iOS” now also allows you to migrate your WhatsApp chats to an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch when first setting up the device.

The app transfers your data by establishing a temporary WiFi network between the two devices. It can also migrate pictures, videos, contacts, messages, Chrome bookmarks and settings, among other things, as long as you still use the same phone number for your new iOS device.

Keep in mind that if you’ve already set up your iPhone, it’s not possible to migrate your WhatsApp chats via the app any more. If that's the case, “you need to erase your iOS device and start over,” says Apple.

“Move to iOS” works for phones running on at least Android 5. According to Apple, the company doesn’t gain access to your data during the transfer.

So far, WhatsApp had only enabled chat history transfer from iPhones to Samsung devices via different third-party platforms.

The updated version of “Move to iOS” also comes with another new feature. You can now enable it to automatically install apps used on your old device on your new phone, provided they are free and available in the App Store.

Previously, the app only transferred data of free apps, but users still had to download them manually on their new device.

 - dpa