WhatsApp's new privacy policy has prompted millions of users to migrate to rival messaging applications such as Signal and Telegram. EPA
WhatsApp's new privacy policy has prompted millions of users to migrate to rival messaging applications such as Signal and Telegram. EPA
WhatsApp's new privacy policy has prompted millions of users to migrate to rival messaging applications such as Signal and Telegram. EPA
WhatsApp's new privacy policy has prompted millions of users to migrate to rival messaging applications such as Signal and Telegram. EPA

Culture

Switched to Telegram after WhatsApp went down? Here's how to take your chat history

Millions of users are flocking to the alternative messaging app

Katy Gillett
Katy Gillett

October 06, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

After the confusion surrounding WhatsApp's updated privacy policy earlier this year, not to mention the recent outage of Facebook's instant messaging platform, alternative messaging apps have had a surge in users.

One popular alternative has become Telegram, which reportedly saw 70 million users join when WhatsApp went down for a few hours on Monday.

In response to its rise in popularity, the app added a feature that allows users to import their chat history from WhatsApp, from both individual and group discussions. This means if you're making the switch, you won't have to lose past conversations and you can continue from where you left off, as long as each WhatsApp user has a Telegram account.

Telegram saw an influx in users when WhatsApp went down on Monday. Bloomberg
Telegram saw an influx in users when WhatsApp went down on Monday. Bloomberg

On iOS, the feature arrived with Telegram's version 7.4, and it's available for Android, too.

Chat histories can also be imported from Line and KakaoTalk.

How to import your chat history

To move a chat from WhatsApp on iOS, open the Contact Info or Group Info page, tap Export Chat, then choose Telegram in the Share menu. WhatsApp for iOS also lets you export chats directly from the chat list. To do so, swipe left on a chat, then choose '…' > Export Chat.

On Android, open a WhatsApp chat, tap on the three dots and choose More > Export Chat, then choose Telegram in the Share menu.

You can choose to import your chats with or without shared media.

The messages and media don't need to occupy extra space on your phone, either, says Telegram.

"Older apps make you store all data on your device – but Telegram can take up virtually no space while letting you access all your messages, photos and videos anytime you need them."

To free up space and control your cache size, Telegram advises doing so in Settings > Data and Storage > Storage Usage.

Any imported messages will have a small "imported" label on them and will tell you when they were sent, and when they were moved over to Telegram. These can be seen by all chat participants.

It's also useful to note that messages will appear in the order in which they were imported, rather than when they were originally sent.

While you're here

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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