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Help Issues with both Google drive Backup and Local Backup

S

Spec_tech

Newbie
Hey everyone. I'm trying to transfer my whatsapp account/messages from an old phone to my new phone, and i'm having issues.

Just to clarify, both phones are Android (old phone is a Moto G Power, new phone is a Google Pixel 5a), and I don't believe I took a backup before I transferred my phone number. I've only tried performing backups on my old phone after the service was transferred.

So given all this, i've tried to backup my messages/service both locally and to Google Drive (with the same Google Drive account of course). For some reason, i'm not seeing any new files in my Google Drive after the backup, and my new phone isn't recognizing any backups in my Drive.

I've also tried taking all WhatsApp related files on my old phones storage and transferring them to my new phone before installing the app again, in the same location as before. WhatsApp doesn't seem to recognize it.

So i'm assuming all this is going on because my backups were all taken after my phone number was transferred, but I want to make sure before I have to switch services back and forth. Is this the problem i'm having? It's the only issue I could gleam from the support instructions, but they won't give any confirmation

Does anybody have any input?
 
Spec_tech said:
Hey everyone. I'm trying to transfer my whatsapp account/messages from an old phone to my new phone, and i'm having issues.

Just to clarify, both phones are Android (old phone is a Moto G Power, new phone is a Google Pixel 5a), and I don't believe I took a backup before I transferred my phone number. I've only tried performing backups on my old phone after the service was transferred.

So given all this, i've tried to backup my messages/service both locally and to Google Drive (with the same Google Drive account of course). For some reason, i'm not seeing any new files in my Google Drive after the backup, and my new phone isn't recognizing any backups in my Drive.

I've also tried taking all WhatsApp related files on my old phones storage and transferring them to my new phone before installing the app again, in the same location as before. WhatsApp doesn't seem to recognize it.

So i'm assuming all this is going on because my backups were all taken after my phone number was transferred, but I want to make sure before I have to switch services back and forth. Is this the problem i'm having? It's the only issue I could gleam from the support instructions, but they won't give any confirmation

Does anybody have any input?
Click to expand...
I already answered a kind of similar situation:

https://androidforums.com/threads/u...ackup-from-google-drive.1341398/#post-8075816

It depends on "how much damage" you already did to WA backups using the same Google account. But if you haven't wiped out your old phone yet, there may be a slight chance to restore from local backup (performed daily and to internal memory or SD sometimes if available). Just do not enable GD backup while re-enable WA on the old phone. If you are able to restore WA messages on old phone, then YES enable GD (this means Google Drive) and do an online backup (Settings>Chats>Chat backup). Then, on the new phone uninstall WA, reinstall it, and restore from GD backup.

Online backups are stored on GD under BACKUPS, which is not on the left side list but on the right side corner almost to the top and below Settings (gear or cog icon). WA backup will have your phone number. The other backup (mine is test with phone's model number) is your phone's backup (apps installed, wifi info, etc., phone's stuff).
 
@KarmaHunter Sorry, can you clarify that in a series of steps? I'm having a tough time trying to follow your explanation.

I can say that:
1. I haven't wiped my old phone
2. I haven't deleted WhatsApp on my old phone
3. I've enabled both local and Google Drive backups on my old phone
4. I've tried backing up both locally and with Google Drive after transferring my phone number
5. It doesn't look like there's a "BACKUPS" folder on my Google Drive after trying these backups
 
Spec_tech said:
@KarmaHunter Sorry, can you clarify that in a series of steps? I'm having a tough time trying to follow your explanation.

I can say that:
1. I haven't wiped my old phone
2. I haven't deleted WhatsApp on my old phone
3. I've enabled both local and Google Drive backups on my old phone
4. I've tried backing up both locally and with Google Drive after transferring my phone number
5. It doesn't look like there's a "BACKUPS" folder on my Google Drive after trying these backups
Click to expand...
Sorry about that. I'm an Engineer (robotics) and tend to think that other people will always understand my "compacted and verbose lacking" writing (to me, I though I wrote a user friendly guide :D). Let's try it again:

1) Uninstall WA on new phone and delete WA local files.
2) Re-enable WA on old phone (verify number and disable/DON'T USE GD backup). If all goes good, you should see all old messages from local backup until the date you stop using old phone. If not, step 8.
3) On old phone, do a Google Drive backup. WA may want to do a local backup again. It's OK. Make sure you WAIT until online backup is complete and depending on your internet and messages/pics-videos, could take from less than 1 minute to half hour (or even more!!!)
4) On NEW phone install WA and enable number. Should detect GD backup from previous step. If not, go to step 8.
5) Every time you enable WA with your number on any phone, the "old" phone setup gets disable but local backups remain just in case that you need to restore messages because of WA app failing or reinstalling it on the SAME phone. Online backups are for transferring between phones and a cloud backup in case of a lost/destroyed phone. Going back and forth between 2 phones and doing backups will mess up your messages.
6) Remember that GD backups are done to a specific email account, so you should use the same on both phones. If not, step 8.
7) If new phone detects the backup, should see your messages reinstated and all is good. You can then forget about old phone WA.

8) You are out of luck and local backup from old phone was messed up by new phone WA backup and going back and forth between each phone's WA, overwrote old phone local backup. Sorry but there's no fix. But you have learned now, as I did when I lost 1000's of messages my first time swapping phones, the proper way to transfer WA messages from one phone to another (from Android <> iOS not possible).

I forgot to mention that, on Google Drive, on the left side list, you should click STORAGE (with the cloud icon) and then you should see BACKUPS under Settings. You can see the backups there (I have attached a pic of mine) and the date last updated. If you have multiple phones (different numbers) but using the same Google account, you should see backups from each phone.
 

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@KarmaHunter So for number 2, I'm assuming my old phone has to have my phone number/service on it in order for WhatsApp to see it as legitimate? I think everything in here depends on this. Because i already switched my phone number/service to the new phone already.
 
Spec_tech said:
@KarmaHunter So for number 2, I'm assuming my old phone has to have my phone number/service on it in order for WhatsApp to see it as legitimate? I think everything in here depends on this. Because i already switched my phone number/service to the new phone already.
Click to expand...
Correct. That's what I meant by "verify number". You have to "activate" WA (move SIM card back to old phone) OR reactivate you old phone's WA but you will get the verification code via SMS on the new phone (I've done it).

But simply put: YES, you have to activate WA on old phone again.

If you already have new messages on the new phone, and you follow my instructions, YOU WILL LOSE those new messages (assuming you successfully activate and retrieve old phone's messages)

You can't have your cake and eat it too :)
 
@KarmaHunter Yeah, i've got to switch the service back to my old phone here then. The old phone is still receiving messages and is active, even though i technically setup the phone number on my new phone. WhatsApp on my new phone isn't active at all.

So i'm going to switch the service back to the old phone, do the backups, switch the service back to the new phone, then do the activation on the new phone.
 
@KarmaHunter oh wow. You know what i found out? I set up my main whatsapp number as a google voice number instead of my actual phone carrier number. That explains all this crap that's been going on. Going to try to delete the app again and set it up with my google voice number instead now.
 
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