WhatsApp’s own transfer skips Business accounts
The chat transfer built into WhatsApp moves the regular app from Android to iPhone. For WhatsApp Business, WhatsApp’s Help Center says it isn’t possible.
WhatsApp Business · Android to iPhone
Move WhatsApp Business from Android to iPhone. Keep every customer chat.
WhatsApp’s built-in transfer doesn’t work for Business accounts. 1dot Transfer moves your chats, groups, photos, videos, voice notes, documents and labels, processed entirely on your own Mac or PC.
- Runs on your Mac or PC
- No rooting
- Finishes with Apple’s own restore
Why the usual ways don’t work
Switching phones should be the easy part of running a business. But if your customers reach you on WhatsApp Business, moving from Android to iPhone has a gap in it.
Google Drive backups don’t restore on iPhone
Android backs WhatsApp up to Google Drive; an iPhone only restores from iCloud. The two never meet, so the backup you already have can’t help.
Exported chats are just text files
“Export chat” gives you a file to read or archive. WhatsApp on iPhone can’t import it, so your conversations don’t appear in the app.
So most businesses start the new phone with an empty chat list, and lose years of orders, invoices, addresses and customer history in the process.
What comes across
1dot Transfer is in development. This is what it’s being built to carry, and the preview shows you exactly what will move before anything touches your iPhone.
Chats & groups
Every one-to-one chat and group, in order, with who said what.
Photos & videos
The original files, not compressed copies, with their captions.
Voice notes & audio
Playable on the iPhone, with their lengths intact.
Documents
Invoices, price lists and PDFs, under their original file names.
Business labels
New customer, Pending payment, Paid: your labels stay on your chats.
Starred messages & replies
Starred stays starred, and replies keep the message they answer.
Your business profile, catalogue, greeting and away messages are kept by WhatsApp itself. They come back on their own when you sign in on the iPhone.
How it works
Connect your Android phone
Plug it into your computer. The app walks you through switching on WhatsApp Business's end-to-end encrypted backup, which lets it read your own chat history, with no rooting and no hacks.
Preview everything
See your chats, photos, videos, documents and labels counted up before anything moves, so there are no surprises.
Build a checked iPhone backup
Your history is converted to the iPhone's format and added to a fresh backup of your iPhone, then checked, piece by piece, before it goes anywhere.
Restore with Apple's own tools
Finder on a Mac, or Apple Devices on Windows, puts it on your iPhone. It's the same restore Apple uses, which is why it holds up where shortcuts fail.
Sign in and carry on
Open WhatsApp Business, confirm your number, choose your existing business, and skip the iCloud restore. Your chats are waiting.
Your customers’ messages stay on your computer.
1dot Transfer does all of its work on your own Mac or PC. Your chats aren’t uploaded to us or to anyone else, there’s no account to create, and nothing is kept once the transfer is done.
- Converted and checked locallyNothing about your chats is sent to a server.
- Your backup key stays with youIt’s used on your computer to open your own backup, then set aside.
- An untouched copy, just in caseThe app never edits your original backup.
What you’ll need
Your Android phone with WhatsApp Business, and a USB cable for it.
Your iPhone with WhatsApp Business installed, ideally new or recently set up.
A Mac, or a Windows PC with Apple’s Apple Devices app (Windows version coming after Mac).
Free space on the computer, roughly twice the size of your WhatsApp photos and videos.
Find My switched off on the iPhone during the restore. Apple requires this for any restore.
Good to know
The last step restores your iPhone from a backup taken minutes earlier, now with your WhatsApp Business history added. That’s why it’s easiest on a new iPhone, and why the app keeps an untouched copy of that backup for you.
Questions
Can WhatsApp move WhatsApp Business chats from Android to iPhone by itself?
Not at the time of writing. WhatsApp's built-in chat transfer covers the regular WhatsApp app, and WhatsApp's Help Center says moving chats from an Android device to an iPhone isn't possible in the WhatsApp Business app. 1dot Transfer is being built for exactly that gap.
Can I restore my Google Drive backup on an iPhone?
No. WhatsApp restores Google Drive backups only on Android, and iCloud backups only on iPhone. 1dot Transfer reads the backup on your Android phone directly and converts it for the iPhone.
Can't I just export my chats?
Export chat gives you a text file and attachments to read or archive. WhatsApp on iPhone can't import it, so the conversation doesn't appear in the app.
Do I need to root my Android phone?
No. You switch on USB debugging and WhatsApp Business's end-to-end encrypted backup for the transfer, and you can switch both off again afterwards.
Will my business profile, catalogue and labels come across?
Your business profile, catalogue and settings are kept by WhatsApp and come back when you sign in on the iPhone. Labels are stored with your chats, and 1dot Transfer is built to carry them over.
Are my messages uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion and every check happen on your own Mac or PC. Your chats, contacts and media are never uploaded to us or anyone else.
Will it erase my iPhone?
The last step uses Apple's own restore, which returns your iPhone to a backup you make minutes earlier, now with your WhatsApp Business history added. Your apps and settings come back from that backup. If the backup isn't encrypted, Apple doesn't restore saved passwords, Wi-Fi networks or Health data from it, so the app walks you through that. It's simplest on a new iPhone, and the app keeps an untouched copy of your backup.
How long does a transfer take?
Most of the time goes into photos and videos: roughly ten minutes per 10 GB to copy them off the Android phone, and about the same to restore them to the iPhone. Most accounts finish in well under an hour.
Does it work on Windows?
It's being built for Mac and Windows. The Mac version comes first; the Windows version follows and uses Apple's Apple Devices app for the final restore.
What about regular WhatsApp?
For the regular WhatsApp app, use WhatsApp's own Move to iOS transfer. 1dot Transfer is made for WhatsApp Business, which that transfer doesn't cover.
Be first to move your business to iPhone.
Join the waitlist and we’ll email you once, when 1dot Transfer is ready for the Mac.