The WhatsApp documentation provides instructions for how to switch from iOS to stock Pixel OS: https://faq.whatsapp.com/1295296267926284.

I suggest trying to follow those same instructions with your device running GrapheneOS, and seeing how you get on. You'll need to install the Data Restore Tool from Google which comes pre-installed on stock Pixel OS. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.restore

If you give it a try, I'd be interested to know how you get on. If you get stuck at all, please do ask here, and we'd be happy to provide further suggestions.

    treequell I'm trying this, can't seem to create a Google account. Gives an error "Sorry, we could not create your google account". Done in a fresh Vanadium incognito tab connected via Mullvad VPN in an Eastern European country.

      AngloSaxon If you haven't done so, I suggest you use sandboxed Google Play services rather than via Vanadium, sandboxed Google Play services receive no special privileges, you'll can use Google's Data Restore Tool
      . Being connected to Mullvad and incognito mode may also be the cause of your error message.

        Xtreix Thanks for the suggestion, I'm running a social media profile but without Google things, would you suggest creating a new separate profile just for WhatsApp w/ Google Play? Maybe to make sure it doesn't interfere with other apps.

          AngloSaxon This essentially depends on your threat model and what you're trying to achieve.

          Its two third-party resources explain it well :

          privacyguides.org/en/basics/threat-modeling

          privsec.dev/posts/knowledge/threat-modeling

          If you don't want WhatsApp to be able to communicate with other apps on the main profile by mutual consent, it's of course worth installing it on another profile.

          You can also revoke its network access in settings then apps, you will not receive notifications in return.

          8 days later

          treequell I’ve been trying to migrate WhatsApp from iOS. There are several problems:

          • WA on iOS won’t backup anywhere but iCloud, which I don’t use
          • The official migration route uses Google’s Data Restore Tool, which only works as part of the factory reset procedure on stock Android. The GOS setup doesn’t have it
          • I installed the DRT .apk from Apk Mirror but it doesn’t show as an app and you can’t launch it. I couldn’t try it as part of the factory reset procedure because that would wipe the app.
          • I flashed a spare Pixel 4a with stock Android 13, and that has it, so I thought I’d use that to convert to Android and then transfer via a local backup
          • I did the factory reset procedure on the 4a. When it asked me to login to a Google account I said no. It did the migration of my photos etc but didn’t migrate WA - there was no WA app installed so nothing to do
          • I installed the WA app on the 4a (Apk Mirror since I don’t want to login to the play store) and it asked me if I wanted to migrate. I did the phone number verification steps (sends a code to the old WA, iOS WA must initially be closed to display it) and then it asked me to enable location, scan for wifi, and scan the QR code on iOS. I did that which opened iOS WA but nothing happened. Seems that this is the Android to Android procedure and it’s expecting an Android to scan the QR.
          • So it looks like the official route requires logging into to Google. Any other things to try?

          About 4 years ago when I moved from Android to iOS there were scripts on GitHub that manipulate the WA SQLite databases on the Android file system to push them into an iTunes backup. It seems there are various scripts to do it the other way around, having taken an iTunes backup on a Mac. I might try some of those if there’s no better way to do it.

            Foggy Did you try the Google Restore Tool? I'm still curious if it works, didn't had time yet to create an anonymous Google account yet and figure it out myself.

              AngloSaxon Yes, all the above was with Google’s Data Restore Tool: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.restore

              Being a system component it’s not an app so you can’t launch it, it’s only invoked as part of the factory install procedure on stock Pixels (where it’s in the system image ).

              When I did that on a stock OS I didn’t want to login to avoid Google grabbing my contacts, SMS history, etc. But it seems like no login means no WhatsApp app and hence no transfer.

              I’ve been trying something else: inject a WhatsApp .apk into the stock system before doing the first boot setup procedure and hope that wakes up the WA transfer procedure. While Lineage OS has a custom recovery for the 4a (there’s no official TWRP) which can flash a .zip, I used a couple of different scripts to make a flashable .zip from the WhatsApp .apk but both attempts cause a boot failure. Could be the scripts, or maybe this approach is a dead end.

                4 months later

                I'm having the same issue trying to move from iOs to GOS. Since all these stuff look quite complicated I've thought that I could link the GOS pixel as a companion app, create an android backup, then, logout from android a relogin as a main account. Do you think this is feasible ? Any other way you have been succeffull with ?

                4 months later

                I live in Mexico, so WhatsApp is a mandatory app. You simply cannot communicate with businesses or people here without it. Mexican cell phone services provide WhatsApp service without using any of your data plan or minutes for cell calls. So nobody answers a call here unless it comes over WhatsApp.

                Given the amount of time I have put into getting this to work using the information provided here and elsewhere, I have come to the conclusion that it is not possible to transfer the WhatsApp chats from my iPhone to my new Pixel 7a using GrapheneOS.

                I will just go through my chat history (which is extensive after living here for 3 years) and manually capture phone numbers, addresses and other data shared in the chats. Then I will just move my WhatsApp account to my new Pixel 7a phone. I will have no chat history, but at this point I just have to move on. Just not worth the effort.