If you need to recover WhatsApp messages when you change smartphone and phone number, the procedure to follow is a bit complicated: here's what to do
Changing smartphone and SIM card number is always a nightmare, especially when it comes to WhatsApp. In recent years, however, things have become easier: by creating a user profile, all our data and information are saved in the cloud and it only takes a few minutes to recover them.
On WhatsApp we are used to using the application's backup to make sure we save the messages, images and videos we receive. If we accidentally delete a message, just use the backup to recover it. And the same applies if we change smartphones (only in case the operating system is the same, otherwise things get complicated). But if we decide to change smartphone and SIM at the same time, the procedure to follow to recover messages is much more complex. Nothing that you can not do, but it is necessary to carefully follow all the steps. Here's how to do it.
Recovery WhatsApp messages: prepare the phone
The first thing to do is to take the old phone and make a full backup of WhatsApp chats. To do this we have to open the app and go to Settings > Chats > Backing up chats and choose to backup both on the phone and on our Google Drive account.
The second step is to insert the new SIM in the new smartphone and turn it on, proceeding immediately to disable both Wi-Fi and data connection. At this point we go back to the old phone, open WhatsApp, and go to Settings > Accounts > Change Number. We follow the procedure and indicate the new number to which to send the confirmation code. We will receive it, of course, on the new smartphone with the new SIM inside, but we will have to enter it on the old smartphone with the old SIM. At this point we will have to restore WhatsApp from the phone and then make a new backup. A procedure a bit long, but necessary in order not to lose a single message.
Import old WhatsApp messages to a new number
At this point we can go back to the new smartphone, reactivate the connections and download the WhatsApp app. We will of course have to log in with the profile associated with the new number and the app within a few minutes will work as usual, but we will still not have the old messages. It will be the same WhatsApp, during the configuration phase, to ask us if we want to restore the chats and we will have to say yes. specifying that the app will have to download the backup from Google Drive. It will take more or less time depending on the size of the backup file, but at the end of the operation we will have all our old messages, on the new number and on the new smartphone.