Since 2018, all Android users have been able to use their Google Drive account to freely store their WhatsApp account data. However, this benefit is about to end, as we now know.
In a joint statement, Google and WhatsApp announce the end of unlimited backups on Drive. This means that this data will now count towards the total storage space available on your Google account.
End of unlimited WhatsApp backups starts in December
This measure will begin to be implemented from December 2023. It will be at that time that this change will be launched for WhatsApp beta users, being progressively extended to the rest in the first half of 2024.
This means that if you only use the stable version of WhatsApp, this measure will only have an impact on you during the first half of 2024. From then on, you will have to be more cautious with the amount of information you send to your Google Drive.
Rest assured that WhatsApp will notify all users as soon as this measure comes into force. This warning will appear in the backup settings 30 days before this change takes place.
If you are a basic Drive user you have 15 GB of space to divide between all your Google services. Still, the North American technology company claims that it is “three times more than most mobile platforms”.
When your free space starts to run low, Google advises you to remove unnecessary files. Another suggestion is to delete WhatsApp files, such as videos or photos, to reduce the size of backup copies.
If none of these suggestions are to your liking, you can always subscribe to a Google One plan and increase the available cloud space. You can expand your storage space to 100 GB for €1.9-9 per month or, in the plan premiumhave 2 TB for €9.99 per month.
Finally, it is important to state that the end of unlimited backups will only apply to personal Google accounts. If you have a Google Workspace or school account, you will not be covered by this measure.
