How to transfer WhatsApp Business to a new phone and keep your chats

Your business runs on that chat history: quotes, addresses, who paid a deposit. This guide shows the route that actually works for the WhatsApp Business app, which is not the one most guides describe, plus a checklist so nothing is lost on the way. Steps were checked against WhatsApp's help centre in October 2026.

By Ritchie, ReplyKit · Published 17 October 2026 · 9 min read

Why doesn't WhatsApp's Chat Transfer work for WhatsApp Business?

Because WhatsApp has not built it for the Business app yet. WhatsApp's help pages for Chat Transfer, on both Android and iPhone, end with the same line: it is currently not possible to transfer chats on the WhatsApp Business app. That is the QR-code, phone-to-phone method most "how to transfer WhatsApp" articles describe.

What does work is the older route: a cloud backup on the old phone, restored on the new phone with the same number. It takes longer, and it only brings back what was in the last backup, so the order of steps matters.

What moves to the new phone, and what does not?

WhatsApp's help pages do not list every business tool (catalog, labels, lists, profile) item by item for a backup restore, so treat them as "check after" and take screenshots first.

What to do before you switch phones

Ten minutes here prevents the expensive mistakes.

1. Check your last backup. In WhatsApp Business, go to Settings, Chats, Chat backup. You will see the time and size of the last backup.
2. Turn on "Include videos" if you need video files, then tap Back up (Android) or Back up now (iPhone).
3. Note your two-step verification password and email. You will need them to register on the new phone.
4. Copy your quick replies and catalog details somewhere outside WhatsApp, and screenshot your business profile.
5. Make sure the new phone has space. WhatsApp says the free space must be larger than the backup, and for iCloud, at least 2.05 times the backup size in both iCloud and the phone.
6. Do not uninstall anything on the old phone yet. Keep it until you have confirmed every chat arrived.

How to transfer WhatsApp Business from Android to Android

1. Back up on the old phone. Open WhatsApp Business, go to Settings, Chats, Chat backup. Choose your Google Account (or WhatsApp cloud storage if offered) and tap Back up. Use Wi-Fi to avoid mobile data charges.
2. Move the SIM. Put the same number in the new phone. The backup is tied to the phone number and, for Google backups, to the Google Account.
3. Sign in to the same Google Account on the new phone.
4. Install WhatsApp Business on the new phone and tap Agree and continue.
5. Verify your number. Enter the code and, if two-step verification is on, your password or email code.
6. Tap Restore when prompted. Do not tap Skip. WhatsApp warns that if a new backup runs after skipping, your old history is replaced and cannot be recovered.
7. Wait for media to finish, then set up your profile if asked and open a few older chats to check them.

Registering on the new phone logs the old phone out as soon as registration completes. WhatsApp's help centre also mentions that your old phone may get a notification asking you to confirm the move; confirm it if it is you.

How to transfer WhatsApp Business from iPhone to iPhone

1. Back up on the old iPhone. In WhatsApp Business, tap Settings, Chats, Chat backup, Back up now. Choose iCloud (or WhatsApp cloud storage if offered).
2. Check iCloud Drive. On the new iPhone, open iPhone Settings, tap your name, iCloud, iCloud Drive, turn on syncing and make sure WhatsApp is allowed.
3. Use the same Apple account and number on the new iPhone.
4. Install WhatsApp Business, verify your number and Apple account.
5. Tap Restore Chat History.

WhatsApp's own route for restoring chats on a new iPhone is the iCloud or WhatsApp cloud backup above, so do not skip the backup even if your apps copy across automatically.

Can you move WhatsApp Business from Android to iPhone, or iPhone to Android?

Not with your chats, as of October 2026. WhatsApp's guides for moving chats between Android and iPhone both say it is currently not possible on the WhatsApp Business app, and an Android backup cannot be restored on an iPhone or the other way round.

Your options are honest but limited:

• Keep the old phone as a reference for old conversations, and start fresh on the new one with the same number.
• Export the chats that matter (a dispute, an order history) as files before you switch. Our guide to backing up and exporting WhatsApp Business chats shows how.
• Wait if the history is critical; WhatsApp adds features over time. Third-party "WhatsApp transfer" programs are not supported by WhatsApp, which says they may cause loss of chats.

What if you are changing phone and number at the same time?

Change the number first, on the old phone, then move phones. WhatsApp's help centre is direct about this: if you register a new number on a new phone without first using Change number on the old phone, you lose your chat history.

1. Put the new SIM in the old phone.
2. In WhatsApp Business, go to Settings, Account, Change number, Next. Enter the old and new numbers in full international format, choose whether to notify contacts, and tap Done, then register the new number.
3. Back up again, now under the new number.
4. Move to the new phone and restore as above.

If you have a business username, WhatsApp says it can follow you to a new number only by changing the number on the same phone, which is one more reason to do the number change first. Then update the number everywhere customers see it: Google profile, website button, packaging. Our guide to WhatsApp links and QR codes helps you regenerate them.

What to check after moving WhatsApp Business to a new phone

Then clean up the old phone. WhatsApp recommends deleting your chats from it and wiping all data, including any SD card, before you sell or return it.

What if the old phone is lost, stolen or broken?

You can still recover the account, but not without the number. WhatsApp's recovery steps for a lost or stolen phone are:

1. Call your mobile provider straight away and ask them to block the SIM.
2. Get a replacement SIM with the same number and put it in the new phone.
3. Install WhatsApp Business and register the number again. The lost phone is logged out automatically once you re-register.
4. Restore your chats from the last cloud backup, if one exists.

WhatsApp cannot deactivate the account for you, cannot locate the phone, and you cannot log the account out from WhatsApp Web or desktop. Anything after the last backup is gone, which is why automatic daily backups matter for a business number. After recovering, review linked devices and turn on two-step verification; our guide to protecting your business WhatsApp has the full checklist.

What if an AI agent or other tool is paired to the number?

Check it after the move. Anything connected as a linked device, including WhatsApp Web and tools paired by QR code, should be confirmed under Linked devices on the new phone and paired again if it shows as disconnected.

We make ReplyKit, so weigh our view accordingly. ReplyKit connects through Quick Connect, a QR pairing that is unofficial, not the WhatsApp Business API, and a number can be restricted; our guide will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? explains the risk. A useful side effect for phone changes: conversations, leads and bookings handled through ReplyKit live in its inbox and CRM, not only on the phone, so a failed restore does not erase your lead list, which you can also export as CSV. It does not replace a WhatsApp backup, because chats it never saw are not there. If you want that extra record, you can try it free for 7 days, no credit card; plans start at $29 a month.

Frequently asked questions

ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. Steps follow WhatsApp's help centre as of October 2026; menu names can differ by version and region. Third-party prices and features were checked in October 2026 and may change.