Hi,
I want to transfer my Whatsapp data from an iPhone to my new Pixel 8a and, according to this, I need the Google Data Restore Tool.
I therefore installed Shelter and, in the work profile, added the three google play apps and the data restore tool. However, only the Google Play Store app opens. The other ones (and just these ones, the other apps work) do not open and give me the following error: "cannot launch app com.google.android.apps.restore beca..." (that's for the data restore tool). I never get the end of that error message because the bubble in which it appears is too small and then it disappears.
Has anyone encountered difficulties in opening these apps? Help would be great, since I really have a lot of conversations I would like to move to the Pixel :S
Thanks!
Toby

I was curious about this question, so had a go and installed the Data Restore Tool onto my device to test it out. From first appearances, I don't think the Data Restore Tool is an app that you can open. It is more that it works in the background to support other apps, in this case WhatsApp.

Have you tried following the instructions step by step instructions exactly as provided by WhatsApp. I can't see that WhatsApp asks you to open the Data Restore Tool app, it only states that it needs to be installed.

To be honest, I am not 100% sure that it will work on GrapheneOS, but I am interested to hear how you get on! You may need to give both WhatsApp and Google Play Services various permissions including contacts and media. WhatsApp probably can just use the storage scopes and contact scopes features, but I believe Google Play Services will need the full contacts permission.

If you are still stuck after following the instructions from WhatsApp, you can always ask again for help. Another option, would be to transfer your WhatsApp data to a device running stock Android if you have one available, and then from that device to your Pixel 8a.

Somehow I missed your reply, sorry about this. You make a good point about opening the app; hadn't thought of that. I'll try tomorrow and revert back!
PS: I had seen the option to export to another Android device, but I don't have one at hand at the moment. That might change so I'll keep this in mind too.

Tried again today and it really seems like the recipient phone (graphene) must be factory reset. Except I have already set up everything and can't really start from scratch now...
So what are my options now? Buy an old android phone to factory reset and transfer there first? Sounds like a crazy requirement...

The instructions from WhatsApp state quite clearly that the device needs to be factory reset before you do the data restore. I appreciate that that is frustrating, but I would work on the basis that the instructions on their website are correct.

I would suggest that you don't try to this in a work profile using Shelter. I am not sure what the advantage of using WhatsApp in Shelter is, since Contact Scopes were added to GrapheneOS. Anyway, I think it is highly unlikely the transfer tool will ever work in Shelter, following WhatsApp's instructions or otherwise.

The order that I expect the restore tool might work, from lowest to highest, is as follows. Try 1, as that doesn't require a factory reset or separate phone.

  1. New user profile on device running GrapheneOS
  2. Factory reset device on device running GrapheneOS, owner profile
  3. Factory reset stock Android OS, owner profile

In retrospect, I would recommend that you had done the transfer before installing GrapheneOS. When migrating from iOS, I would recommend migrating via the stock Pixel OS, If you want to make use or the iOS to Android transfer tools provided by Google: https://support.google.com/android/answer/13626960

14 days later

In the end, I got it to work with the official indications by finding a kind soul agreeing to lend me an old android that I could wipe. Still a painful process that refused to work several times before it did. For those facing issues, do make sure you grant ALL permissions requested by WhatsApp, otherwise it won't work (it pained by heart to do so, but you remove them afterwards). And, if you use a VPN on your new phone, make sure to allow local connections.

If you restored the WhatsApp backup from Google drive onto your GrapheneOS device, you would need to give the following permissions:

  • contacts permissions from Google play services
  • contacts permissions from WhatsApp
  • media permissions from WhatsApp

https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/1122#issuecomment-1550982163

If you restore from a local backup, then you don't need to give those permissions, but you will need to give them if you want to backup to Google Drive in the future.