This guide gives you the ultimate guide on WhatsApp iCloud Backup, for backing up and restoring your WhatsApp chats using iCloud Drive.
This guide covers the main iCloud backup steps, the restore flow, and the limits that usually block a restore.
How to Backup WhatsApp to iCloud?
WhatsApp on iPhone gives you two basic iCloud backup options: run a manual backup now or turn on automatic backups at a fixed schedule.
Making a Manual Backup of WhatsApp Chats
To make a manual backup of WhatsApp chats, you need to do the following:
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone and go to the settings menu.
- Tap on “Chats” and then “Chat Backup”.
- Tap the option, “Back Up Now”.
After that, WhatsApp creates the backup and uploads it to iCloud Drive. The obvious limit is that anything received after the last backup will not be included.
The simplest way around that gap is to turn on automatic backups so the restore point stays more current. Here is how to set that up:
Automatic WhatsApp Chats Backup
If you want your WhatsApp chats to be backed up automatically, here’s how you can configure your phone to do that:
- Go to the Settings menu in WhatsApp.
- Tap on “Chats” and then “Chat Backup”.
- Tap on “Auto Backup”.
- Select the frequency from the options (Daily, Weekly, or Monthly).
backup whatsapp icloud
After that, WhatsApp backs up chats on the schedule you selected, as long as iCloud Drive stays available.
Things You Need to Know About WhatsApp iCloud Drive Backup
iCloud backup is convenient, but a few limits matter before you rely on it. These are the main ones:
- WhatsApp chats are never stored on their own servers.
- When the WhatsApp media and chats are stored as a backup on iCloud Drive, they are not protected by the End-to-End encryption of WhatsApp.
- Deleted messages are also deleted from the back up and cannot be retrieved.
- You need to sign in with the same iCloud ID on your new device to be able to retrieve the messages.
- This facility is only available for devices running on iOS 10 or later with iCloud Drive turned on.
- You must have free space at least 2.05x the size of your backup on your phone and iCloud Drive to back up the messages.
- If you are using mobile data or are on roaming, it is advised to set WhatsApp chat back up to the “Wi-Fi Only” settings to avoid data usage charges.
WhatsApp Chat Backup with No iCloud or iPhone Storage Restrictions
One of my friends also changed her phone last week and asked me to back up her chats. Her phone did not have enough free space, making it impossible to backup the chats to iCloud Drive. I spent some hours, used a bunch of tools and finally found one that worked.
This tool is Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer – a fairly simple and easy-to-use tool.
Here are the simple steps that you need to execute to make a backup of your WhatsApp chats using this tool:
- Download Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer on your computer and install it.
- Open the app and select the options saying “Back up WhatsApp on Devices” from the list on the left.
- Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable and when you see the name of the device on the Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer, click on “Back Up” to start the process.
- Keep the device connected to your computer until Mobitrix tells you that the backup process is complete.
backup whatsapp to pc
The only shortcoming of this process, that I noted, is that you need a computer to do it. Otherwise, it has no restrictions on the size of the backup, and you do not need to buy iCloud Storage no matter how big your backup might be.
How to Restore WhatsApp Messages from iCloud
Once the new iPhone is ready and WhatsApp is installed, the restore process is short as long as the backup is visible in iCloud.
- Make sure that your WhatsApp chats are backed up. This can be done by going to the Chat Backup. The date and time of the last backup is shown on top of that menu.
- Once you make sure that the backup was created, you can uninstall WhatsApp from the old device.
- Install WhatsApp on your new device and add your number. Follow the instructions to restore the backup.
restore whatsapp from icloud
Keep these restore requirements in mind:
- You must be signed in with the same Apple Account you used to create the backup and iCloud Drive must be turned on.
- You must use the same number on WhatsApp as backups are tied to individual numbers.
- You must have at least 2.05 times the size of backup free space on both your phone and iCloud Drive for this process to complete.
How to find WhatsApp Backup on iCloud
WhatsApp backups are not exposed as normal files in iCloud Drive, so you cannot browse them the way you browse regular documents.
If you want to keep your iPhone WhatsApp backup in your control, you can use a tool like Mobitrix to back the data up and, then, you can have the backup file at your disposal.
How to Free Up iCloud Storage Space?
If you choose iCloud Drive to back up your WhatsApp chats, you might need to make room in your iCloud. Since iCloud gives you just 5GB for free, finding enough space for backups can be tough. But, here are some simple tips to help you free up space on iCloud:
- You can choose to not backup certain apps from your iPhone and iPad onto iCloud Drive.
- Reducing the size and quality of iCloud Photos can help free up storage.
- When you have free time, delete unnecessary photos from your iCloud backup.
- Delete the files and folders on iCloud Drive that you don’t need.
- Delete mail and attachments that are taking up space.
icloud drive whatsapp
I found that iCloud Drive is the easiest official iPhone backup route, but it still has a few clear limits:
- You can’t transfer the data to an Android device.
- The storage is limited.
- You cannot access the backup file from iCloud Drive.
I found that the best alternative to this problem is Mobitrix WhatsApp Transfer because:
- It has no restrictions on the size of the backup.
- You can use it to transfer the messages to an Android device.
- You can access and use the actual backup file.
