New Delhi: WhatsApp on Wednesday has announced a new feature that will allow users to take their WhatsApp chat history with them when they change mobile operating systems.
The company said it will be introducing the ability to move the entire WhatsApp chat history -- including voice notes, photos and conversations -- seamlessly and securely if users choose to switch mobile operating systems.
"We are excited for the first time to make it easy for people to securely transfer their WhatsApp history from one operating system to another," Whatsapp Product Manager Sandeep Paruchuri said in a statement.
"This has been one of our most requested features from users for years and we worked together with operating systems and device manufacturers to solve it," he added.
The feature will be available to users of both Android and iOS platforms, which means that people will be able to switch from both Android to iOS and vice versa.
The company said that it will start to roll out on Android initially, and on Samsung's newest Galaxy smartphones unveiled on August 11.
To start, users will be able to take their WhatsApp history from iOS to an Android device and will subsequently be able to do the same on iOS devices.
Whatsapp releases multi-device option beta version
According to officials declaration, The multi-device beta is an opt-in program that gives early access to try a new version of WhatsApp for Web, Desktop, and Portal. If you join the multi-device beta, you'll be able to use linked companion devices without the need to keep your phone connected. Your personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted. Learn more about end-to-end encryption in this article. For information on how we collect, process, and share your data, including providing the multi-device feature, please see the WhatsApp Privacy Policy.
You can use WhatsApp on up to four companion devices at one time, but can only have one phone connected to your WhatsApp account at one time. You'll still need to register your WhatsApp account and link new devices with your phone. If you don't use your phone for over 14 days, your linked devices will become disconnected.