I switched from a Pixel 7 to a Pixel 10 recently and my WhatsApp restore from Google Drive failed. I have a 6.2GB backup sitting visibly on Google Drive (dated April 19, 2025) but every restore attempt fails with "Unable to restore chats from this backup." The backup is there, WhatsApp finds it, downloads 230MB of it, and then just... gives up.
For context — I changed my WhatsApp number from an old Indian number to my current one back in 2024, which may or may not be relevant.
**What happens when I try to restore:**
- WhatsApp finds the 6.2GB backup on Google Drive
- Downloads ~230MB successfully
- Then throws "Unable to restore chats from this backup"
- Group chats appear but completely empty — no messages
**Everything I've tried:**
- Restoring on the Pixel 7 (old phone)
- Restoring on the Pixel 10 (new phone)
- Uninstalling and reinstalling WhatsApp multiple times
- Clearing app data and trying again
- Attempted to decrypt the local crypt14 backup file manually using a key recovered from the old phone — key didn't match
- Verified the 6.2GB backup is still intact on Google Drive under the correct Google account
- Confirmed storage space is not the issue (20GB free)
- Emailed WhatsApp support
**What I have:**
- All images already restored fine through Google photos
- The 6.2GB backup still sitting on Google Drive untouched
Has anyone managed to get WhatsApp support to actually fix something like this? Or is there any other avenue I haven't tried? The data is RIGHT THERE on Google's servers and I can't get to it. Any help appreciated 🙏