Telegram’s recent update allows users to move their WhatsApp chat history to its own platform; this is introduced after WhatsApp’s new privacy policy that “forces” its users to share their data with Facebook-owned companies.
WhatsApp users have no choice but to share personal data
Starting from February 2021, Facebook-owned companies will have access to WhatsApp user data such as their phone numbers and transaction data to be used in ad-targeting. This made many WhatsApp users uncomfortable, causing many to migrate from WhatsApp to Telegram and Signal.
Telegram & Signal adds feature to import WhatsApp chats
However, some users may be reluctant to stop using WhatsApp as their chat history remains in the app and cannot be exported to other messaging apps; to solve this issue, both Signal and Telegram recently introduced a feature that allows users to transfer their chats from WhatsApp to the other apps. On Telegram, users can also transfer their chat history from apps like Line and KakaoTalk.
How to do it
Here’s how you can move your chat history from WhatsApp to Telegram:
- Swipe left on the WhatsApp chat that you want to transfer and select ‘More’.
- Select ‘Export Chat’.
- You can choose to export your chat with or without media.
- Select Telegram, then choose the preferred Telegram chat to move your WhatsApp chat into.
- Keep the window open while the chat is transferred over.
