How to import your WhatsApp chat data into Telegram

Following the disastrous announcement changes to its privacy policy, WhatsApp is losing the trust of millions of users who are now looking for a new encrypted messaging platform. Telegram claims to have added 100 million new users this month alone, and he hopes his new ability to transfer WhatsApp chat histories will speed up the transition.

On Thursday, Telegram launched a move-history tool which allows users to import their chats from WhatsApp, Line and KakaoTalk. According to the company, the videos and the documents will also be transferred to Telegram. Here’s how to do it on WhatsApp:

To move a chat from WhatsApp to iOS, open the Contact information or Group information page in WhatsApp, tap Export chat, then choose Telegram from the Share menu.

On Android, open a WhatsApp chat, tap ⋮ > More> Export chat, then choose Telegram from the Share menu

The company said the chats will be added to Telegram on the day they are imported, but will still contain the original timestamps for reference. It also added some feature changes to its audio player, new greeting stickers, updated Android animations, and an ability to report fake accounts.

When it comes to encrypted messaging, the important thing is trust and security. Signal has had the best reputation for these qualities for some time now, but some users are put off by its lack of features. But that is changing rapidly. Signal started deployment updates its Android and iOS apps today, add chat wallpapers, an “About” field for profiles, animated stickers and more efficient use of data. The effort to make Signal more user-friendly for new users has caused controversy in the small nonprofit, as some employees worry about complicating the app which could lead to the same moderation issues that plague social media. But there is still every reason to believe that Signal is the best private messaging app there.

WhatsApp uses Signal encryption protocol, but it collects more metadata about users and, well, it’s owned by Facebook. After announcing changes to its privacy policy that would only affect data sharing as it applies to a company’s email, people panicked. And the company has cried since then he has been the victim of misinformation and misunderstanding. It could be argued that users overreact, but Facebook has lost the privilege of benefiting from doubt. The founders of WhatsApp left the company Warning that Facebook was violating its mission to protect user privacy, and one of them, Brian Acton, went to Signal.

Despite all this, WhatsApp still felt comfortable enough for announce the addition of face, fingerprint and eye scanning on Thursday. It has promised users that biometric data will be processed on the device and it cannot collect this information.

If you’re tired of trusting Facebook to keep its promises, use Signal.