WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion users. Given how much personal and sensitive information is shared on WhatsApp, many users wonder what happens to their chat history when they stop using the app. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of what happens to WhatsApp chats and media when you delete your account, uninstall the app, change phones, or restore from backup.
What happens when you uninstall WhatsApp?
When you uninstall WhatsApp from your phone, your account is not deleted. All your chats and media remain stored on WhatsApp’s servers. If you reinstall WhatsApp and restore your backup, all your old chats will reappear as they were before uninstalling.
However, if you do not restore your backup and start with a fresh install, you will lose access to all old chats and media. The data still exists on WhatsApp’s servers but is inaccessible without a proper restore.
So in summary:
- Uninstalling WhatsApp does not delete your account or chat history.
- Chats and media remain saved on WhatsApp servers.
- To regain access, you need to reinstall WhatsApp and restore from backup.
- Without restoring backup, old chats and media are inaccessible but still stored by WhatsApp.
What happens when you delete your WhatsApp account?
Deleting your WhatsApp account is more permanent than just uninstalling the app. When you voluntarily delete your account, WhatsApp erases your chat history, groups info, media etc from its servers.
However, this data is not immediately deleted. WhatsApp follows a delayed deletion process:
- For the first 30 days after account deletion, all your data can still be restored if you reactivate your account.
- After 30 days, WhatsApp erases your message history, removes you from all groups, and deletes your media from its servers.
- For up to 90 days after deletion, other WhatsApp users may still see your name in their chat lists.
- After 90 days, your account is permanently deleted along with all data.
So in summary:
- Deleting your account initiates a 90 day deletion process.
- Your chat history and media are removed from WhatsApp servers after 30 days.
- After 90 days, your account ceases to exist along with all your data.
- You have 30 days to recover account and data if you change your mind.
What happens when you change your phone number?
Changing your phone number also impacts your WhatsApp account and chat history. Here’s a quick rundown of what happens:
- You must first change your number within WhatsApp and confirm the change.
- Your chat history and media are migrated over to the new phone number.
- You will be logged out from your old number once migration completes.
- If you do not confirm the number change in WhatsApp, your chats remain with old number.
So your chat history follows you across phone numbers as long as you properly transfer your account within WhatsApp. Your media and groups also automatically transfer over.
Does WhatsApp notify others when I change my number?
When you change your WhatsApp number, the app does send notifications to your contacts about the number change. Here is exactly how it works:
- WhatsApp sends an automated in-app notification to all group participants informing them about your number change.
- For one-to-one chats, your individual contacts are notified of the number change via an in-app message from you.
- The notification clearly mentions your old and new number for reference.
- You can choose to manually notify your important contacts before or after the change.
So while WhatsApp does not broadcast your number change publicly, it does discretely notify your relevant contacts to avoid confusion.
Does WhatsApp inform contacts when you delete your account?
No, WhatsApp does not directly notify your contacts when you delete your account. However, there are some subtle changes that your contacts may notice if you delete your account:
- In one-to-one chats, your last seen, online status, and profile picture vanish after account deletion.
- You are automatically removed from all WhatsApp groups.
- Your contacts see an “Unavailable” message if they try to message you after account deletion.
- For up to 90 days, your contacts may still see your name in their chat lists.
- After 90 days, your account ceases to exist on WhatsApp.
So while your contacts are not directly informed, account deletion is not a completely invisible process either. Subtle changes happen over a 90 day period leading up to permanent account removal.
What happens to WhatsApp chats when you change your smartphone?
When you switch smartphones, your WhatsApp chats seamlessly transfer over during setup on the new phone. Here is what happens behind the scenes:
- On your old phone, back up chats to Google Drive or local storage.
- On new phone, install WhatsApp and log in using same mobile number.
- Restore chat history from backup during initial setup.
- Your chats, media, and settings transfer automatically to the new phone.
- You can find the same WhatsApp experience on your new smartphone.
As long as you use the same mobile number and restore your backup, WhatsApp makes it easy to transition between smartphones without losing chat history.
Can I transfer WhatsApp from iPhone to Android?
Yes, you can transfer your WhatsApp data between iPhone and Android by following these steps:
- Back up chats on old phone to iCloud (for iPhone) or Google Drive (for Android).
- Install WhatsApp on new phone and log in using same number.
- On Android, tap “Restore” on the backup prompt to transfer iOS chat history.
- On iPhone, chat history is automatically restored from iCloud backup.
- Media needs to be transferred manually from old phone storage.
So chats and preferences can transfer between platforms, but media must be moved separately via external storage or cloud services.
What happens when you restore WhatsApp backup on a new phone?
Restoring your WhatsApp backup on a new phone brings over all your old chats, data, and settings. Here’s exactly what gets transferred:
- Entire chat history including text messages, images, videos, documents etc.
- Your contact list.
- All WhatsApp groups you are part of.
- Your media library.
- WhatsApp settings and preferences.
- Call history and blocked contact list.
The only WhatsApp data that does not restore are personalized wallpapers and ringtones. Everything else seamlessly transfers to your new device when restoring during setup.
How far back can I restore WhatsApp chats from a backup?
WhatsApp backups include your entire chat history with no limits on how far back chats can be restored. As long as the chat history existed in your backup file, everything is restored when you set up WhatsApp on a new device.
However, WhatsApp does overwrite older backups saved to Google Drive or iCloud. So you can only restore as far back as your latest backup, not any previous ones that may have been overwritten.
Can I selectively restore only some WhatsApp chats?
Unfortunately, selective restoration of only certain WhatsApp chats is not possible currently. When you restore from backup during WhatsApp setup, all chats from the backup file transfer to your new phone.
There is no option to pick and choose only certain chat threads or contacts to restore. It’s an all or nothing process. Partial restore would be a useful feature for WhatsApp to add in the future.
Does WhatsApp delete old chats automatically?
No, WhatsApp does not automatically delete old chats after a certain time period. Your chat history is stored indefinitely unless you manually delete chats or delete your account entirely.
Some key points on WhatsApp chat deletion:
- Chats are saved forever unless you delete them.
- You can manually delete individual chats or entire conversations.
- Deleting account erases chats after 30 days per WhatsApp’s policies.
- WhatsApp does not offer an auto-delete option for old chats.
So feel free to scroll back through years of old chats if you desire! Just be mindful of chat history taking up device storage over time.
Does WhatsApp have an auto-archive feature for old chats?
Yes, WhatsApp has an auto-archive feature that lets you automatically archive old chats to clear up your main chat list. Here are the key details about this feature:
- Find auto-archive in WhatsApp Settings > Chats.
- Turn on auto-archive and select archive timing (90 days, 1 year, etc).
- Chats older than the set duration will be moved to Archive.
- Archived chats are still saved and accessible but hidden from the main view.
- Manually archive chats anytime to bypass auto-archive rules.
So auto-archive provides a neat way to organize and declutter your WhatsApp chat history over time. Archived chats remain saved and searchable.
Should I delete very old WhatsApp chats?
There are pros and cons to deleting very old WhatsApp chats:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Frees up device storage space | Permanently lose old memories and info |
| Removes irrelevant or embarrassing chats | Can’t look back fondly or reference old chats |
| Creates cleaner, organized chat view | Accidentally delete chats you wanted to keep |
In general, keep old chats that have emotional significance or important info you may need. Feel free to delete stale chats that are no longer relevant.
What are best practices for managing WhatsApp storage?
Here are some tips to optimally manage WhatsApp storage and chat history:
- Enable auto-archive to declutter main chat view.
- Frequently clear large videos/media you don’t need.
- Use Google Drive or iCloud backups so local backups don’t eat up space.
- Delete entire chats or contacts you no longer engage with.
- Turn on auto-download only over WiFi to avoid cellular data.
- Review and prune gallery to remove unnecessary media.
Following best practices allows you to retain chat history you want while freeing up storage space on your device.
Conclusion
To wrap up, WhatsApp provides reasonable assurances that your chat history and data will remain available wherever you access the app. Your chats seamlessly transfer across devices when you set up WhatsApp with the same mobile number.
And if you ever choose to delete your account, WhatsApp follows a gradual 90 day deletion process before permanently erasing your information. With proper backups and account management, you have control over your WhatsApp chats.