WhatsApp could soon make importing your chat backups easier

Currently being developed by the messaging service is a new import/export facility for conversation backups

If you reside outside of the United States, it’s likely that you use WhatsApp to communicate with friends, family, and perhaps clients. Over two billion people use the messaging service every day, exchanging over 100 billion messages. Only your chat history may be backed up to Google Drive using WhatsApp on Android. The data’s limited usability is caused by the inability to export it. Earlier this year, it was discovered that the Meta-owned service was developing a feature to export conversation backups. The corresponding import tool is now visible in screenshots from the most recent WhatsApp beta for Android, indicating that the firm is actively developing the feature.

The new import option was discovered by WABetaInfo in the most recent beta of WhatsApp for Android v2.22.13.11. When you try to install the messaging app on a fresh Android device, it appears. The import tool is not functional because the functionality is still under development.

Currently, WhatsApp asks you to import a backup from the Google account connected to the device when you first set it up. The option to import a local backup is absent. In essence, you are unable to transfer your WhatsApp messages to another device if you don’t back them up to Google Drive. This can become a problem if you ever lose access to the account where you backed up your WhatsApp chat history or if you switch between devices while using a poor Wi-Fi connection.

When Google decides to stop offering free limitless Drive storage for WhatsApp backups, WhatsApp may launch its import/export service. The messaging app’s backups do not now deplete the storage in your Google account, but that may change in the future. The import/export feature of WhatsApp will be useful in this situation because it allows you to locally export the chat data and then import it on another device. Users who don’t feel comfortable keeping their WhatsApp chat history on their Google account will also find it helpful.