WhatsApp Backup Alert: Storage Quota Now Applies to Your Drive

WhatsApp users on Android have enjoyed the benefit of not having their backups count against their Google Drive storage quota. This was a valuable feature. Considering the popularity of WhatsApp, Google’s free storage tier has remained at 15GB for an extended period. However, in November 2023, Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, announced a change. Starting in early 2024, WhatsApp backups would begin counting toward users’ Google Drive storage.

If you are using the stable version of WhatsApp, it’s advisable to check your Google account storage. You might notice a new entry for WhatsApp backups under the “Other” section. You can view the amount of space that various conversations and files are taking up by tapping on this entry to access the app’s “Manage Storage” page. By deleting large media files and documents, you can effectively manage your storage. It will help you lessen the amount of space that WhatsApp’s chat backups take up.

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The transition seems to be gradually taking effect on WhatsApp’s stable channel. As of now, it is visible on some of the Google accounts. Notably, WhatsApp’s support page mentions that a notification banner will appear in your chat backup settings within 30 days. It will provide the users with a heads-up about this update.

According to the support page, the update will roll out slowly to all WhatsApp Android users across the first half of 2024. This suggests that the implementation is still in its early phases and may take some time to reach all users. Additionally, Google could potentially provide promotional offers on Google One subscription plans. It will offer additional storage space to help users adapt to this change.

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For users on WhatsApp’s beta channel, the impact of this change has already been experienced, as chat backups to Drive began counting against the storage quota in December 2023. With WhatsApp’s widespread use, the backup data could consume several gigabytes of space in a Google account. This might pose a challenge for users who are nearing their 15GB storage limit. Especially when it comes to considering other storage-consuming elements like Google Photos backups and Drive files.

Google Workspace users who have their accounts through work or school remain unaffected by this change. It’s important to note that the impact of this adjustment on storage policies may vary. This variation may be based on the type of Google account and usage patterns.

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WhatsApp backups were included in the storage quota on Google Drive. However, in November 2018, Google made an announcement stating that WhatsApp backups would no longer count against the account’s storage quota. Signs of a potential change in this policy emerged in early 2022 through a WhatsApp beta release, leading to the eventual announcement in November 2023 that WhatsApp backups would once again count towards Google Drive storage, starting in early 2024.

WhatsApp provides an option for the local transfer of chat backups between devices, allowing users to disable Drive backups if they prefer not to incur additional costs for Google storage. However, it’s important to be aware that choosing this option means that your chat data will be stored locally on your device.