Say goodbye to WhatsApp and move to Telegram? Wouldn’t it be great if you could bring all your chat messages and media with you? Well, it is possible to import individual WhatsApp chats directly into Telegram!
WhatsApp’s backup and restore function is very limited. It doesn’t even work between Android and iPhone without a third party tool. But Telegram has an import feature that allows you to transfer conversations from other messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Line and KaKaoTalk by chat. While this sounds tedious, it gets the job done. In this guide, we will focus on WhatsApp.
Once the chat is imported, the messages will be displayed for both parties. The imported messages are added to the bottom of the chat, but they bear their original timestamp.
All you need to do is export the chat from WhatsApp and import it into Telegram. Here’s how it works on Android and iPhone.
Import WhatsApp chat history into Telegram for Android
Open the WhatsApp app and go to the conversation you want to export to Telegram.
Here, tap on the three dot menu icon in the top right corner.
Now select the “More” button.
Select the option “Export chat”.
WhatsApp will now ask you whether you want to export the chat with or without media. The export with media can be a few hundred MB, depending on your chat. If you want to keep it lightweight, choose the “Without Media” option.
On the share sheet, tap the “Telegram” app shortcut.
You will now see all your conversations in the Telegram app. Choose the conversation into which you want to import the messages.
In the popup message, tap the “Import” button.
The Telegram app will start importing your chat. When it is done, you will see the completion prompt. Here, tap on the “Done” button.
The Telegram conversation will be updated with all WhatsApp data. It also shows you the original WhatsApp timestamps.
Import WhatsApp chat history into Telegram for iPhone
The steps are slightly different when it comes to iPhone. Open the WhatsApp app on your iPhone and go to the chat you want to export to Telegram.
Here, tap the contact’s profile name at the top of the screen.
Scroll down and tap the “Export Chat” option.
WhatsApp will ask you whether you want to export the chat with or without media. Choose the option “Without media” to keep the export light.
On the share sheet, choose the ‘Telegram’ app.
Search and choose the contact you want to import the chat to.
Confirm the action in the pop-up message by selecting the “Import” option.
Telegram will now import the chat. Once the process is complete, tap on the “Done” button.
You can find the WhatsApp messages in the Telegram chat, with their old timestamps.
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