What Happens to WhatsApp When You Remove SIM Card?
Removing the SIM card to troubleshoot your phone or for any other purpose will not affect the existing WhatsApp account on your phone. You can continue using WhatsApp even if your phone has no SIM card, provided you have a working Wi-Fi connection.
Pro Tip: Find out what is eSIM and how it works.
When You Change SIM (Same Phone)
Buying a new SIM card for your current Android or iPhone will not impact your existing WhatsApp account. You can still use the WhatsApp registered with your old number. However,
- If the switch is temporary, i.e., you will use your old SIM card again after some time, there is no issue using WhatsApp with the old number.
- If you are planning on disposing of your old number, it’s highly recommended to register your WhatsApp with the new number.
The reason is that the cellular company will recycle your old number and give it to someone else. If that person creates a WhatsApp account with the number, you will lose your WhatsApp account as there is no way to verify it.
Change Your Registered Phone Number With WhatsApp
You don’t need to delete or uninstall WhatsApp to register with your new number. You can use the change number feature of WhatsApp to switch without any hassle. The feature is located in WhatsApp Settings → Account → Change number.
When you change your WhatsApp number all your chats and groups will remain untouched. What’s more? Your WhatsApp friends will be notified that you’ve changed the number. Fortunately, your number is automatically changed in your groups. So, you don’t have to ask the group admin to add you again.
When You Change Phone (Same SIM)
As mentioned earlier, once you register WhatsApp using a SIM card, your WhatsApp account doesn’t have much to do with SIM. So, if you own two mobile phones, swap SIM cards between them.
Another scenario is if you buy a new phone and use the existing WhatsApp account using the old number on a new phone. In that case, you need to transfer your WhatsApp chat history to the new phone.
Fortunately, it is easy as long as you have taken proper backups of your WhatsApp chats. To enable backup, go to Settings → Chats → Chat backup → tap Back up to Google Drive/iCloud Drive.
Tip: If you can’t backup WhatsApp properly, follow the linked guide.
Now, switch your phone and register with the same number on the new phone. You will be asked whether you want to restore Google Drive/iCloud backup. Confirm it.
Note: Your WhatsApp will stop working on the old phone when you register it on the new phone.
When Getting a New Phone and SIM
If you want to use a new SIM on a different phone, you can either,
- Start afresh and register with a new WhatsApp account, or
- Change your number (the new SIM).
Notably, for the latter set, i.e., to keep your existing chat history intact, you must first get the backup using Google Drive or iCloud and your old number. Once your chats are on the new phone, use WhatsApp’s Change Number feature to switch the number to the new SIM card.
What Happens to WhatsApp When You Format Phone?
Formatting your phone deletes all the files on it, and it’s hard to recover them if you haven’t created a backup. So, if you format your Android or iPhone, you will lose your WhatsApp chat history.
However, if you have enabled Google Drive backup (Android) or iCloud backup (iPhone), you can easily retrieve chat history using them after formatting your phone.
FAQs
No, even if you’ve not changed your WhatsApp number, they can’t access your messages because they can’t restore the backup, which is stored in your Google Drive or iCloud.
No, you can change your number registered with WhatsApp and carry along the old WhatsApp chat.
Yes, WhatsApp necessarily needs a SIM card for verification. Once activated, you can use WhatsApp without a SIM. However, you may occasionally need to verify your account, so keep the SIM handy and active.
No, as long as you have a proper backup of your WhatsApp on iCloud or Google Drive, you won’t lose any conversations.
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Last updated on 31 July, 2024
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