Attention Android users! WhatsApp’s backup feature on Google Drive is about to change. Previously, these backups did not count towards your 15GB free storage limit on Google Drive. However, Google and WhatsApp have announced that this is about to change.
Starting soon, WhatsApp backups will begin to impact your free cloud storage quota. This means you will need to start managing your backups to ensure they don’t take up too much space. If you run out of storage, the backups will stop, so it’s important to delete unnecessary items from your Google Drive or WhatsApp to free up space.
The change will first affect WhatsApp Beta users next month, with others being impacted from early next year. Google has also suggested signing up for Google One, their cloud storage subscription service starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB, as a solution. Additionally, WhatsApp offers the Chat Transfer feature as an alternative to storing chats on Google Drive.
Keep an eye out for a banner in WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup, as WhatsApp will notify users 30 days before the change is implemented. Stay informed and make the necessary adjustments to avoid any disruption in your WhatsApp backups.
