WhatsApp - no iCloud chat backup found after changing phone number

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Level 1

4 points

WhatsApp - no iCloud chat backup found after changing phone number

I needed to move my WhatsApp account from one phone to another. First, I created a backup of the chats on iCloud using the process within the WhatsApp settings. Then, I followed their instructions to change my phone number to the new one. All went well - until I installed the app on the new phone, and tried to restore my chats from the backup - whereupon it told me that no backup could be found.

To troubleshoot, I changed my number BACK to the original one. My chats are still there on the old device, so I backed up again and tried the phone number change again. Same result.

How can I get WhatsApp on the new phone to find the backup I have made in iCloud? I don't want to use Dr.Fone or any other software (so please don't anyone try to sell me some). I just want to find out why I can't access the backup, and fix the issue.

iPhone 5s, iOS 11

Posted on Oct 19, 2019 9:04 AM

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Answer 1

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haveronjones Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 19, 2019 3:28 PM in response to haveronjones

SOLUTION

To help anyone else who has this problem, here's the solution I found through a combination of luck and guesswork: both the old phone and the new phone seemingly have to have the same name. When I fixed that, the iCloud backup restore worked like a dream.

No idea whether that's an iCloud glitch or a WhatsApp glitch - but setting the phones to the same name seems to resolve it.

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Answer 2

haveronjones Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 19, 2019 12:40 PM in response to LACAllen

Gosh - why didn't I think of that first?

WhatsApp advises that this is more likely to be an issue between the phone and iCloud than it is to be a problem with the app itself. Whether or not that's true, I thought I would ask the question here in case it is a known problem. Is that OK?

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Answer 3

LACAllen

Level 8

43,440 points

Oct 19, 2019 1:00 PM in response to haveronjones

You're right.

Entirely my fault. What was I thinking. Should have known better when I see this in your original post.

(so please don't anyone try to sell me some).

Conversations that start with conditions like this rarely go well. "Give me the answer I want"

Won't happen again.

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Answer 4

haveronjones Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 19, 2019 3:25 PM in response to LACAllen

Well, that's fair comment - and if you had taken me to task for including that, admittedly weak, attempt at being light-hearted, instead of chiding me rather condescendingly for an inappropriate post, I would have apologised.

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