AiThaoChat backup
Turn on Settings → Chat backup. Your phone encrypts a copy of your history with a random key and uploads it; the key is locked with a recovery key kept in your iCloud Keychain and never sent to AiThao. A new iPhone signed in to the same Apple ID gets your chats back by itself.
You can also write the recovery key down. Keep it somewhere safe: if you lose your phone, your Apple ID and the recovery key, nobody can restore the history, AiThao included.
Moving from one phone to another
If you still have the old phone, you do not need a backup. The new phone shows a code, the old phone scans it and sends your history directly, encrypted with a key that exists only in that code. The server only relays the encrypted data and deletes it within an hour.
Which to choose
- Changing phones and have both in hand: transfer.
- Want to be safe if a phone is lost or broken: backup.
- Many people use both: backup as insurance, transfer on the day they switch.
Questions
Can AiThao restore my chats if I lose the recovery key?
No. The backup is encrypted with a key AiThao never has, so without the recovery key it cannot be opened.
What happens to the backup if I delete my account?
It is deleted from the server, as it is when you turn backup off.