The Galaxy Unpacked recently was more or less about Samsung showing the latest Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. We all got so excited about the foldables that we sort of missed another key announcement.

WhatsApp announced a feature that will let you transfer your chats between Android and iOS. The functionality is limited only to Samsung phones, and WhatsApp has confirmed that this feature is now finally rolling out.

That said, the process is not as simple as you might want it to be. Since WhatsApp on Android and iOS have different cloud platforms for backing up, you cannot just export things from the cloud and get done with it. The process has to be done entirely locally, and you will need a USB-C to Lightning cable. Once both phones are connected, there are a bunch of prerequisites that need checking. For starters, the Samsung phone in question needs to have the Smart Switch version 3.7.22.1 or newer.

As for the iPhone needs to have the WhatsApp iOS version 2.21.160.17 or newer, and for Samsung, you need to have the WhatsApp Android version 2.21.16.20 or newer. The Samsung device also needs to be running Android 10 or the latest. Support for older Android versions is coming soon. Lastly, the process is only possible when you set up your Samsung phone for the first time; this means that you might have to factory reset your phone if you are already using it.

You can start the transfer of WhatsApp chats by setting up your Samsung phone and selecting Smart Switch as the mode of transfer. You will be asked to scan a QR code on your iPhone through the camera. The setup process will take a while; once you have booted into Android, you can open WhatsApp and log into your account with the same phone number. If things go smoothly, you should be able to see all your WhatsApp chats on your Samsung phone. Everything except the peer-to-peer payment information will be imported.

It is important to note that at the moment, the process works only one way; this means that between an iPhone and Samsung phone. The ability to transfer chats between an old Samsung phone to an iPhone is not available yet, but we can hope that this feature becomes available in time.