How to Restore WhatsApp Chats and Media Without Google Drive
In this guide, we will show you an interesting method using which you can restore your WhatsApp chats and media without Google Drive. One of my friends recently reached out to me regarding a concerning issue that she had just faced on WhatsApp. When trying to set up the app on her new phone, she tapped on Restore from Google Account, but at the same time, the router went down for a few seconds.
As soon as it came back up, WhatsApp was way past the restore screen and was into the chat screen, which, as you might have guessed, was all blank. If she had deleted WhatsApp right away and reinstalled it, then there was a chance that she would have gotten the option to restore chats from Drive, but she was late to act, and WhatsApp had automatically created a new backup, with only 2-3 chats.
So when she did try reinstalling the app and restoring the backup, she only got those 2-3 chats! Well, things couldn’t have gotten worse for her. Fortunately, though, I too had faced a similar issue back in 2020, and I knew a trick that allows you to manually restore your WhatsApp chats and media without using Google Drive.
After this second instance, I thought of finally listing my findings here, just in case anyone else is facing this issue, they can use this guide to get out of this troublesome problem. So, without any further ado, allow me to shed some light on this problem. Follow along.
How to Restore WhatsApp Chats and Media Without Google Drive
Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device, your chats and media by performing the below steps.
- Open any file manager app on your old device [the one on which you were earlier using WhatsApp] and head over to Android > media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Databases
- There will be the msgstore.db.crypt14 file. This is the latest WhatsApp backup that the app had made, rest all the others [YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt14] are older ones.
- So transfer this file [msgstore.db.crypt14] to your new device [the one on which you now want to use WhatsApp]. If you have WhatsApp installed on your device, then uninstall it and reinstall it from the Play Store.
- Now launch it and then minimize it. Now, launch File Manager on your new device. Then head over to the below directory: Android > media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Databases
- If the Databases folder is missing, then manually create it. Then transfer the msgstore.db.crypt14 file to this Databases folder. New Phone with the WhatsApp Database File from Old Phone
- Now relaunch WhatsApp and you’ll get the prompt to restore data from Internal Storage, which infact is this file. Hit Restore. Data being restored from msgstore.db.crypt.14 file in Internal Storage
- The chats will be restored right away, whereas media files will take some time. That’s it.
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- Sam 4 months ago Reply Does it work on latest Android and WhatsApp version? For me it’s not asking restore from internal storage.. it’s going directly to WhatsApp chat not restoring
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WhatsApp Fingerprint Lock not working [Fix]
In this guide, we will show you a nifty workaround that should help you mitigate the issue of fingerprint lock not working on WhatsApp. When it comes to instant messaging services, then there’s hardly an iota of doubt that the offering from Meta is the best in this domain. While there’s always a privacy risk involved whenever Meta is associated with a service, however, in this app, all the chats and associated data are end-to-end encrypted and it cannot be deciphered by anyone.
To further enhance the security, you could opt for app-based protection measures as well, such as implementing two-factor authentication and a lock screen. if we talk about the latter, then you have the option to protect your chats via a fingerprint. However, as of late, it’s giving quite a tough time to many. Numerous users have voiced their concern that the fingerprint lock isn’t working along the expected lines with WhatsApp.
According to the users, if they open the app for the first time, they do get the fingerprint prompt, but that’s just about it. From subsequent times, no such prompt appears and anyone could easily open the app and access the chats, which could translate to a major privacy scare. So is there a way out? Well, there does exist a nifty workaround that might help you mitigate this issue. So without further ado, let’s check it out.
Fix WhatsApp Fingerprint Lock not working
To rectify this issue, you just need to close the app from the Recent Apps screen. So wipe up from the bottom of the screen and leave it midway. This will bring up the Recent Apps, from there, simply swipe up WhatsApp to close. Now relaunch the app and you should get the fingerprint prompt. Apart from that, you may also force stop the app [via Settings > Apps > All Apps > WhatsApp > Force Stop > OK] to rectify this issue, however, it’s a tad bit lengthier process when compared to its counterpart.
Anyway, the choice is all yours, try out either of the two methods and it should help you fix the issue of the fingerprint lock not working on WhatsApp. As far as the official stance on this matter is concerned, the developers are yet to acknowledge this issue, let alone give out any ETA for the rollout of a fix. As and when any of these two things happen, we will update this guide accordingly. In the meantime, the aforementioned workarounds are your best bet.
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