How to change your phone number when changing it in WhatsApp?

How to change your phone number when changing it in WhatsApp - briefly?

To change your phone number on WhatsApp, first open the app and go to "Settings." Then, select "Account" and choose "Change Number." Follow the prompts to enter both your old and new phone numbers, and confirm the change.

How to change your phone number when changing it in WhatsApp - in detail?

Changing your phone number while using WhatsApp requires a few careful steps to ensure that your contacts and message history are preserved. Here's a detailed guide on how to accomplish this:

First, it's crucial to backup your chat history before making any changes. This can be done by going to the "Settings" menu within WhatsApp, selecting "Chats," and then choosing "Chat Backup." You can back up your chats to Google Drive or iCloud, depending on whether you are using an Android or iOS device.

Once your chat history is safely backed up, follow these steps:

  1. Open WhatsApp: Launch the WhatsApp application on your phone.
  2. Access Settings: On the bottom right corner of the screen, tap on the three dots (or the gear icon on iOS) to access the settings menu.
  3. Navigate to Account: In the settings menu, select "Account."
  4. Change Number Option: Within the "Account" section, you will find an option labeled "Change number." Tap on this.
  5. Enter Your Old and New Numbers: WhatsApp will prompt you to enter your old phone number (the one you are currently using) and your new phone number (the one you want to switch to). Make sure the country codes are correct for both numbers.
  6. Verify Your New Number: After entering the new number, WhatsApp will send a verification code to that number via SMS. You need to enter this code into WhatsApp to verify your new phone number.
  7. Transfer of Data: During this process, WhatsApp will automatically transfer your account information, groups, and settings to your new phone number. Your chat history should also be preserved if you have backed it up beforehand.
  8. Notifying Contacts (Optional): After the number change is complete, you can choose whether to notify your contacts about the change. This feature allows WhatsApp to inform your contacts that your phone number has changed and update their address books accordingly.

It's important to note that while WhatsApp does its best to preserve your chat history, there may be some cases where messages are not transferred if they were not backed up properly before the change. Therefore, always ensure you have a recent backup of your chats before initiating the number change process.

By following these steps carefully, you can successfully change your phone number in WhatsApp without losing your important data and communications.