WhatsApp has been allowing its Android users to back up their chats to Google Drive for a few years now. These backups can take up quite a bit of space depending on how many conversations and media are being saved.
In a surprise move, WhatsApp has struck a deal with Google so that these backups no longer count against the Google Drive storage quota. This is great news for folks running out of space. The search giant is sending out emails informing users about this change. Even WhatsApp’s support page has gotten updated with the shift.
New WhatsApp Backup Rules
One new rule to take notice of is how long these backups are stored in Google Drive. Backups which haven’t been updated in over a year will get removed from the platform automatically. WhatsApp is recommending users to manually back up their data before 12 November 2018.
Google notes that the new policy will go into effect on 12 November, but some people might see it happen before that. There are plenty of benefits to linking Google Drive and WhatsApp, with the most important one being not losing data in case of an issue.
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Plus, it’s very useful when a person switches to a new phone since WhatsApp automatically transfers all chats and media. To create a Google Drive backup, users have to venture into Menu > Settings > Chats > Chat backup. They then have to choose “Back up to Google Drive” and decide on a backup frequency other than Never.
At this point, the individual will have to select a Google account or login with their credentials. “Back up over” lets them decide whether they want backups to be done over Wi-Fi or cellular data. Wi-Fi is always the safest option since cellular might result in excessive data charges.