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WhatsApp Help: 43 Guides to Transfers, Backups, Business and Privacy

By Lilach Bullock
In this article

WhatsApp is the app people panic about, because it holds years of conversations and the transfer and backup rules keep changing. This page indexes 43 guides I've written on WhatsApp, grouped by what you are trying to do: move chats to a new phone, back them up, run or close a WhatsApp Business account, tighten privacy, or fix a problem. Each guide answers one question with the steps, tested on both iPhone and Android where they differ.

Useful alongside this: What Is a Good WhatsApp Business Description Example for Small Busines.

Useful alongside this: How to Create Effective SEO Packages for Small Business Clients.

How to use this page

Scan the headings for your situation and open the one guide that matches. Each guide answers a single question, so you get the steps without a 4,000-word read. If the problem is technical, work the fixes section top to bottom: the guides are ordered by how often each cause is the real one.

For the step by step version, see How to Transfer WhatsApp from Android to iPhone Without a Computer.

Moving chats to a new phone and backups

WhatsApp Business

Fixes and account problems

More WhatsApp guides

New guides added in September 2026

New guides added in September 2026

New guides added in October 2026

New guides added in October 2026

If your team shares files every day, my roundup of the best cloud storage for business compares the options for small businesses.

New guides added in October 2026

New guides added in October 2026

New guides added in October 2026

New guides added in October 2026

My guide to removing your data from data brokers covers the services and the free opt-out route.

New guides added in October 2026

Frequently asked questions

Can I move WhatsApp chats to a new phone without a backup?

Yes, with the built-in Transfer chats tool (Settings, Chats, Transfer chats) when both phones are on the same Wi-Fi, or with the QR flow during setup on the new phone. The transfer guides above cover iPhone to Android and Android to iPhone, which use different routes.

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Why did my WhatsApp backup not restore?

Usually a different phone number or Google or Apple account from the one that made the backup, or the backup finished after you started the restore. Check the account first, then the date shown on the backup.

How do I delete a WhatsApp Business account safely?

Export what you need first, then Settings, Business tools, Delete account. Deleting removes the catalogue and labels and cannot be undone; the guide above walks through what to save.

Can someone tell if I read their message with read receipts off?

No, but you also lose their receipts, and read receipts are always on in groups. The privacy guides above list every setting and what each one hides.

Why are messages arriving late or not at all?

Battery optimisation, a paused background data setting or a stale app version, in that order. The fix guides above give the exact toggles for Android and iPhone.

About Lilach Bullock

Lilach Bullock has run social media for brands and her own audience since 2005, is Forbes-listed, and now works as an AI implementation consultant for small businesses. Every guide on this page was written and tested by her team on live accounts.

Further reading

Related guides you might find useful

Published and maintained by the Lilach Bullock team, covering marketing, AI and business growth.
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Lilach Bullock
About the author

Lilach Bullock

Forbes Top 20 Social Media Power Influencer. 21 years of marketing experience. Currently obsessed with AI implementation done well. British AI and marketing consultant working internationally, writes a weekly newsletter that 15,000+ founders read on Sunday mornings.

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