[Top 5 Ways] Transfer WhatsApp to New iPhone without iCloud

Bradley Harvey | May 21, 2026 7 min read

A senior programmer well-versed in the mechanics of platforms like WhatsApp.

This guide covers 5 ways to transfer WhatsApp to a new iPhone without iCloud. Detailed, step-by-step guide with visuals and a comparison table for easy decision-making.

Overview of 5 Transfer Methods Comparison

This guide covers 5 ways to transfer WhatsApp to a new iPhone without iCloud. Detailed, step-by-step guide with visuals and a comparison table for easy decision-making.

Data Loss Bulk Transfer Transferring Time
iTunes Yes Yes, but the existing data will be overwritten. It depends on the data size of your device. Usually, it takes more than 30 minutes.
Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer No Yes, and the iPhone WhatsApp messages will not be erased. Less than 15 minutes.
Email No No. You need to transfer the WhatsApp messages one by one. Very long if you have too many WhatsApp messages to transfer.
WhatsAppTrans Box No Yes, and the iPhone WhatsApp messages will not be erased. Normal time but it is technical and complicated to operate.
WhatsAppTrans No Yes, and the iPhone WhatsApp messages will not be erased. It is technical and complicated to operate.

Using iTunes to Transfer WhatsApp to New iPhone without iCloud

If your old phone is already an iPhone and you have a recent computer backup in iTunes or Finder, that backup can move WhatsApp to the new iPhone because it restores the whole device backup, not just the app by itself.

The tradeoff is that restoring this backup replaces the current data on the new iPhone. If you already finished setting up the new phone, save anything important on it first because the restore rolls the device back to the backup state.

  1. Launch iTunes on your computer and then connect the old device to the computer using the device’s lightning cable.
  2. Select the “Summary” tab and then click on “Back up now” to create a full backup of all the data on the device. It is very important to make sure that “This Computer” is selected as the backup location instead of “iCloud”.
  3. Use iTunes to Back Up Data
  4. As soon as the backup is complete, disconnect the old iPhone from iTunes and connect the new device. Once iTunes detects the device, go to the Summary tab once again and this time click on “Restore Backup” in the “Backup” section.
  5. Use iTunes to Restore Backup
  6. Select the most recent backup that you created and wait while iTunes restores the backup on to the device.

When the device restore finishes, set up WhatsApp on the new iPhone with the same number and check a few key chats first. Media can continue loading after the app opens, so verify the transfer before you delete anything from the old phone.

The Best Way to Transfer WhatsApp to New iPhone without iCloud

The most effective way to transfer all the data in you WhatsApp account from the old device to the new one is to use a data transfer tool to move the data. But the tool you choose to use will only work if it is specifically designed to handle WhatsApp data transfer. Lucky for you, there is a tool that does just that. It is known as Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer.

Steps:

Step 1: Launch the program and connect your old phone and new iPhone to the computer using USB cables.

Step 2: Click on “Transfer” and the transfer of all WhatsApp data from the old phone to the new iPhone will begin immediately.

Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer Tool Click Transfer to Transfer Your Data

Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer Tool - Click Transfer to Transfer Your Data

Step 3: Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer will notify you when the process is complete. All the WhatsApp data that was on your old device will now be available on the new device.

Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer Tool Data Has Been Restored to New Device

Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer Tool - Data Has Been Restored to New Device

The following are some of the most notable features of Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer:

  • It is useful in the transfer of WhatsApp data from one device to another even if the devices are running on different platforms, such as from Android to iPhone, iPhone to Android, iPhone to iPhone, Android to Android.
  • All WhatsApp chats and attachments can be transferred to new iPhone, such as photos, videos, emojis and other attachments.
  • It will also be helpful to backup all WhatsApp data on your device to computer for free without storage limitation and restore the same backup to iPhone/Android.
  • The program is downloaded and used millions of users all over the world.
  • It’s 100% secure to use. All of the WhatsApp data will only be exported and saved on your private computer.

Transfer WhatsApp to New iPhone via Email

Email export is the lightest workaround in this list. It is only suitable when you need a readable copy of one or two chats on the new iPhone, not when you need your full WhatsApp history restored inside the app.

  1. Launch “WhatsApp” on the old iPhone and then select the chat that you want to transfer. It can be an individual or group chat.
  2. Tap on the contact or group name at the top and you should see information about the chat appear on the screen.
  3. Scroll down to locate “Export Chat” and tap on it.
  4. A popup will appear asking you whether you want to attach media or not. If you want to include media in the exported chat, tap on “Attach Media”. If you don’t want to add media to the exported chat, tap “Without Media”.
  5. Enter the email ID you want to send the email to and then tap on “Send”.
Export Whatsapp Chat via Email

After that, open the email on the new iPhone and download the exported chats. They arrive as TXT files for reference, so you can read them outside WhatsApp, but you cannot import them back into WhatsApp as live chats.

Using WhatsAppTrans Box to Transfer WhatsApp to iPhone for Free

If keeping the process free matters most, WhatsAppTrans Box is the command-based option described here. It is better suited to users who are comfortable following technical steps on both a computer and an emulator.

Please check the detailed instructions as below:

Step 1: From your browser, download the Toolkit of WhatsAppTrans Box.

Download the Toolkit of WhatsAppTrans Box

Step 2: Once downloaded, follow the steps below to extract your WhatsApp data from the Android device.

  1. Backup WhatsApp to your phone's internal storage.
  2. Backup your WhatsApp data into your phone storage
  3. Connect your Android, using a cable, to the computer and copy the WhatsApp data by running the command: [copywhatsapptopc]
  4. Disconnect the Android from your computer, then install an Android emulator.
    If unsure of which emulator to use, install the Bignox emulator. Once you install Bignox, set ROOT permissions.
  5. Install the Bignox Emulator

    Set ROOT Permission
  6. On the emulator, download and install WhatsApp. But, DON’T log in to WhatsApp instantly.
  7. Download and Install WhatsApp on Emulator

  8. Go ahead and copy the folder with the WhatsApp to the emulator by running [copywhatsapptoandroid]
  9. Now, log in to WhatsApp on the emulator and choose the option to restore WhatsApp data.
  10. Copy the WhatsApp folder to your computer but first extract it from the emulator using the command: [pullwhatsapptopc]. The database will be stored in the path: /data/data/com.whatsapp/databases/.

Step 3: To transfer the WhatsApp to the new iPhone, execute [whatsappandroid2iphone]

Step 4: Download and install WhatsApp on your iPhone, connect it using a cable to the computer, and execute [restorewhatsappdata] to restore the WhatsApp. All chats restored will then.

Welcome to WhatsApp

Why use WhatsAppTrans Box:

  • It enables transferring WhatsApp to the new iPhone.
  • Extensive data can be transferred.
  • Conversations within the last 3 months can be restored.
  • The tool is free.

Disadvantages

  • Only chat history can be transferred.
  • Only chats within the last three months can be restored.

WhatsAppTrans Box is mainly useful when your target data falls within its recent-chat limits and you do not mind the command-line setup. If you need a simpler route for a larger or older chat history, the article points readers back to Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer instead.

Using WhatsAppTrans to Transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone for Free

Mobitrix WhatsAppTrans is the free open-source option in this guide, but it is clearly the most technical method. Use it only if you are comfortable working with files, command-line steps, and manual imports.

If you are new to this kind of workflow, slow down before using it. A missed file step or failed export can leave you with partial results, which is why this method makes more sense for advanced users than for beginners.

WhatsAppTrans can move the data bundle, but the result is not the same as opening full chats inside WhatsApp on the new iPhone. In practice, much of what you recover is viewed through exported files rather than as normal in-app conversation threads.

To use the Mobitrix WhatsAppTrans tool follow the detailed instructions below:

The first thing you need is to export all your WhatsApp data from your Android.

Step 1: Visit Github and tap on “Download”.

Depending on what suits you best you can go ahead and download the customized version of WhatsApp(.apk) or the business version.

After that download the “ExportAndroidWhatsApp.exe” tool which you will use to export your android data.

Download the Mobitrix WhatsAppTrans ZIP File

Before you commit to this method, open the Android file manager and confirm that the WhatsApp folder is really there. If the folder or local backup is missing, stop here, because the rest of the workflow depends on those local files.

Step 2: Back up your data by use of local backup in your Android. You have to ensure that your backup is successful so that no data is lost in the process then go ahead and delete your version of WhatsApp in your Android then install a customized version. Launch the installed WhatsApp and log into your account and allow the storage permission during your first logging in. On the screen that appears click on restore data.

Step 3: On your Android launch the file management application then go to the WhatsApp folder and open it, on the same folder create a file and name it “data. Flg”. After finishing, launch your customized WhatsApp and give it a few minutes, this depends on the size of your backup. Then open again the WhatsApp folder in the file manager and check that you have a file named “ok. Flg” and a folder that is named “chatpath”, if you have them then it means that your WhatsApp data has been exported.

Step 4: Use a cable and connect your Android to a computer then go to the WhatsApp folder again, copy it, and paste it into your computer.

Step 5: Launch the command line of your computer then type and run the command below:

ExportAndroidWhatsApp.exe WhatsApp path

On successful transfer of your WhatsApp data, it will be stored in a txt file.

Export Android Whatsapp Chat History

Step 6: Find the latest iTunes version and install it on your PC then connect your iPhone to it.

Step 7: Go to the WhatsApp directory you pasted on your computer then import media files from the media file in the directory and any data you desire to your iPhone. You can import the media files to your iPhone’s photos to allow you to view any videos or images from your iPhone.

Step 8: If you wish to access the chat history you can import the txt files under the txt folder to your iPhone and store them in the “Photos” directory. This will enable you to view your chats easily from your iPhone. It is recommended to back up the text files in another account of yours or any of your relative’s accounts.

Import Whatsapp Txt Files

Mobitrix WhatsAppTrans tool is highly recommended for those who have computer skills and knowledge.

If you do not want to troubleshoot file paths and manual imports, switch to the direct transfer software instead. That route is easier to follow for everyday users who mainly care about getting chats onto the new iPhone with less setup work.

Summary

These five methods solve different versions of the same problem: full device restore, direct app transfer, readable chat export, or technical file conversion without iCloud.

Among them, Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer stands out as the most versatile. It allows you to transfer chats to any device, regardless of its operating system or model. Additionally, Mobitrix offers a free, unlimited storage solution to back up your entire WhatsApp data on a computer and restore it to any iPhone or Android device.