WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature that now allows users to transfer chats wirelessly on Android by scanning a QR code. This process doesn’t require the user to first backup their chats on Google Drive on the old phone and then restore them on the new one. Here’s how it works.
Once the user accesses the feature in WhatsApp, he/she gets a QR code on his/her old device containing their backed-up chat history which is then transferred locally to the new phone through Wi-Fi Direct. This process is potentially quicker and more secure than the cloud backup option to transfer the chats on WhatsApp.
However, the process still has limitations, such as it can only be used to transfer chats from Android to Android smartphones or iOS to iOS devices. Furthermore, it also doesn’t require the users to have large amounts of Cloud Storage which the cloud backup process necessitates. The feature is already rolling out to users as per a tweet from WhatsApp.
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Furthermore, WhatsApp’ parent firm Meta says that the chat history data that is transferred using QR code is only shared between the two devices and is fully encrypted during the transfer process.
In related news to WhatsApp, the app could soon allow users to share HD quality videos with lesser compression. The report from WABetaInfo suggests that when you share videos on the platform, there is now an option to choose a higher quality version. However, even if its selected, some amount of compression is still applied to the video to reduce its file size for a faster transfer.