The procedure for archiving chats in WhatsApp assumes that sooner or later the user will need to return to one or another correspondence, that is, remove it from the list of temporarily invisible ones. The article discusses ways to return hidden dialogs and groups to their normal state when working with the messenger in Android, iOS and Windows.
What does it mean to archive on WhatsApp?
The term “archive” in WhatsApp has a meaning that differs from the generally accepted one. When this function is activated, data compression does not occur, resulting in freeing up space in the device memory. This action only allows you to hide the dialog from the main page of the application.
Archiving in WhatsApp is advisable when many chats have been created in the application. It makes it possible to remove rarely used conversations, which makes it easier to find the necessary dialogues. At the same time, the text of the hidden correspondence is saved, it can be returned to the active list at any time.
Extra options
How to unzip or archive a chat on WhatsApp is now clear. The function has only one setting - the ability to automatically move a conversation to the main screen if a new SMS arrives.
How to set up automatic unzipping in WhatsApp:
- Go to your saved conversations section.
- Click on the three dots above.
- Go to settings.
- Turn off the switch.
Now all correspondence in which a new message arrives will be automatically unzipped and will appear on the main window. A notification will sound when an SMS arrives.
What does it mean to archive a chat on WhatsApp? This option allows you to tidy up the main messenger window and hide unnecessary conversations. If you need to get a card with your interlocutor, you can do this at any time.
Archiving a single chat on WhatsApp
On Android
To archive a conversation when using a gadget on Android, you need to:
- Go to the first screen of the messenger.
- Press and hold on the dialog until a menu appears at the top of the screen.
- Tap on the archiving icon, which is a square with a downward arrow.
On iPhone
For iPhone owners, the sequence of actions is as follows:
- Open the application.
- Find the desired dialogue and navigate through it (swipe) from right to left.
- In the menu that appears, select “Archive”.
In addition, on Apple gadgets you can tap the “Chat” icon, select several conversations and click “Archive”.
WhatsApp message archive - what is it?
According to the developers, all messages and chat history in the messenger are saved only on the users’ device. Immediately after being sent, they are automatically deleted from the developer’s servers. If desired, a person can delete individual messages or entire chats, but they will remain with the interlocutor. And the archive function allows you to hide them without permanently deleting them. This is very convenient, for example, to clean the “Chats” .
As a result, a separate folder will appear in it, in which all archived data will be stored. If desired, the user can retrieve them independently at any time.
This was introductory information, and now we will move directly to using the function. This article contains instructions for mobile devices running Android and iPhone. Skip directly to the section you need.
How to recover messages from a WhatsApp archive
You can read hidden correspondence without removing it to the main screen. Just go to the section containing hidden conversations and open the one you need.
If the person with whom the chat was archived sends a new message, the conversation will be automatically retrieved by the messenger and moved to the list of active ones.
How to unzip a WhatsApp chat on iPhone
To independently transfer archived correspondence to the list of active ones, an iPhone user needs to:
- while in the main menu, in the “Search” line, indicate the name of the conversation or a quote from the messages contained in it;
- swipe left on the found dialogue;
- Click the “From Archive” button.
On Android
If a user wants to return an archived conversation to the WhatsApp home screen, they need to:
- open the application;
- scroll through the list of conversations to the very end;
- click on the blue “Archive” sign to enter it;
- in the list of dialogs that appears, click on the desired one and hold until the menu appears;
- Click on the icon with an arrow pointing up.
Windows
In the WhatsApp application for PC, the steps involved in unarchiving dialogs and groups are not fundamentally different from those in the environment of the above-described mobile OS.
Method 1: Incoming message
If the user is worried that he will miss an important message that is expected to arrive in the archived chat, then he is doing it in vain.
The incoming message, regardless of the state of the correspondence, will not only be received,
but at the moment of receipt it will also display a dialogue or group from the list of hidden ones in the messenger.
Method 2: Contacts
If the data of a WhatsApp participant, with whom the conversation was archived, has been added to the messenger’s address book, you can very quickly, by sending any message to the contact, transfer the correspondence from the list of invisible to the accessible area of the WhatsApp window.
How to delete an archive
Deleting conversations moved to the WhatsApp archive and dialogues from the main screen follows the same principle.
If you need to delete a WhatsApp group chat, you must first exit it. This can be done through the main menu or through an open conversation. In both cases, you will need to click the ellipsis icon and select the desired item. After this, the “Delete group” button will be available in the same menu.
Android
To delete a dialog on a gadget with the Android operating system, you need to:
- go to the “Archive” section, where all hidden conversations are located;
- find the necessary correspondence;
- press and hold it until the menu appears;
- tap on the icon in the form of a trash can;
- Confirm the action in the dialog box that appears by clicking on the “OK” button.
Removal
How to restore WhatsApp
Although archived conversations are not visible in the main tab, they still continue to take up space. If the user needs to free up memory on the phone, and he is sure that he will not need the data, then he can delete the archive in Whatsapp and from the device itself in a couple of clicks.
If you need to delete several messages, you need to go to the folder. Go into the correspondence and by pressing, delete any of them. To delete one conversation in WhatsApp, you should enter the dialogue itself and select “Delete” in the settings.
To clear all archived conversations, you need to go to the “Chat” section in the settings, open “History”, click “Delete all” and confirm the action. In this case, you can leave all media.
Ways to unarchive WhatsApp correspondence for iPhone
Just like in Android, activity leads to transfer from archiving to normal mode, so the methods are similar.
- Therefore, the easiest option is to wait for the interlocutor to write to you himself. The disadvantage of this method is the uncertainty in the length of time.
- Method using an address book. To do this, after opening the messenger, you need to go to the “Chats” tab. Next, select the “write” button, which occupies the upper right corner of the application screen. We find the interlocutor through contacts, send him any message/symbols. Thus, unzipping occurs.
- Extracting chats from the Archive. Scroll down the “Chats” section and the “Archive” will open in front of you. Thus, you will see a list of archived chats; all you have to do is scroll to the left until you see the “unarchive” button.
How to Backup WhatsApp on iPhone
How to Transfer WhatsApp Chats from iPhone to iPhone
iPhone users will cope with the task faster than Android users, since the backup process here is simpler and clearer. Before starting work, you need to pay attention to several requirements:
- You must sign in to the device using the Apple ID used to sign in to iCloud;
- The smartphone must have the seventh version of the operating system or newer installed;
- on iOS 7, “Documents and Data” must be enabled;
- on iOS 8 and higher you need to enable iCloud Drive;
- The amount of free space in iCloud and on your phone must be at least twice the size of the file being saved.
Is WhatsApp included in iCloud for copying correspondence?
So how can you backup WhatsApp on iPhone s, 6 plus, se and many other models? To do this you need to follow the following instructions:
- Open iPhone settings and make sure you are signed in to iCloud.
- Enable iCloud Drive
- Check if WhatsApp is included in the “iCloud Drive” field.
- Open the messenger and go to the settings section.
- Find the “Chats” section, then “Backups”.
- Find the “Create” button. It will become active after all the conditions in this instruction are met.
- Select a time period. All other actions will be performed automatically.
For your information! It is impossible to restore previously deleted dialogues without direct contact with the mobile phone. Even if a third party can access the downloaded backup, the file will need to be decrypted on a PC, and this is impossible.
You cannot save a chat and unpack it on another mobile device; a phone number is required to activate the application.
What to do if it is impossible to restore the copy
During the process of recovering deleted SMS, failures and errors are possible, so there will be a list of tips that will allow you to solve problems:
- faulty memory card. In most cases it is the source of errors and failures; If the file system is damaged, backup is not possible.
- We check the speed of access to the network. To return a copy from cloud storage, it is recommended to use a wireless connection;
- Incorrect operating system version. Previous versions of Android do not have a feature that allows you to return information from Whatsapp;
Tip #1
Before deleting, you should be on the safe side and create a backup copy. To do this, go to Settings, Chat and select Backup at the bottom of the page. At this stage, you can make copies of letters and files. They can only be saved to Google Drive. You can always reply to messages through your Google account.
Tip #2
If your phone is low on memory, you can create a backup on your computer. After opening the program, select a match from the list on the left side of the screen, click on the arrow on the left and select the archive folder.
Let's look at ways to unarchive WhatsApp correspondence for Android
- When you receive an incoming message from your interlocutor, the chat will be unarchived automatically.
- If the contact information of your interlocutor is saved in the memory of your mobile device or SIM card, you can find him using the “new chat” button.
- You need to click on the lower green button in the right corner.
- Next, you will see a list of your contacts using WhatsApp on the screen.
- From this list, select the contact you need. Thus, unzipping occurs.
- You need to scroll to the bottom of the “Chat” page. Next, you will be presented with the “Archive” tab. Go to the tab, write any symbol/message to the desired contact. This way it will be unzipped.
- This method extracts all chats from the archive. You need to click on the three dots in the upper right corner of your Android screen, then select the “Settings” section.
Then, you should go to the “Chats” subsection. In the very bottom tab you will see the “Chat History” button; you need to click on it.
Next, click the “Archive chats” function, so, paradoxically, archived chats are unarchived.
Is it possible to clear correspondence in cloud storage?
If you've set up automatic backups in your iCloud (iPhone) or Google Drive (Android) account, you can delete saved files by logging into your account and searching for the corresponding files in the cloud.
Not many people know how to delete an archive on WhatsApp, but many need to do it periodically. Matches and files are not stored on the company's servers, but are stored directly on users' phones or in cloud storage. If your phone memory is full and you want to delete information from the messenger, this article will show you how to do it.
