It has been claimed by WhatsApp that starting in the first half of 2024, chat backup on Android smartphones will be counted toward GDrive storage space.
In the near future, backups of your WhatsApp chats will begin to count toward the storage capacity on your GDrive. A month ago, the corporation made a change to its terms and conditions for Android smartphones; however, they did not provide any information regarding when the new terms and conditions will become effective.
On the other hand, according to a report that was published not too long ago by The Verge, WhatsApp has already implemented the adjustments that were made to the beta version of the program. This indicates that WhatsApp backups, which contain chat history, photos, and videos, will now count against the storage space available on GDrive for those users, regardless of whether they are on the free or premium tier of the service.
Moreover, the messaging platform that is owned by Meta has stated that the modification would be implemented for all WhatsApp users on Android in the first half of 2024, and that they will be informed thirty days in advance of the change. Within the ‘Chat’ settings part of the application, the notification will be displayed in the form of a banner at the ‘Chat Backup’ section.
You will have the option to use the built-in WhatsApp Chat Transfer tool when you want to migrate all of your app-related data to a new device. This is for those individuals who do not wish to back up their WhatsApp chat on GDrive. Although it is necessary for both phones to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network, this utility can function even when there is no active internet connection.
In the event that you are still interested in utilizing GDrive to back up your WhatsApp chats, the application has an option that enables you to back up only text messages, excluding images and videos. This will allow you to save a significant amount of space on GDrive.
Apple iPhone users have not had the pleasure of having their WhatsApp chat backups not count against their GDrive storage space for quite some time now. This is because the tech giant only provides 5GB of cloud storage for free customers. Android users, on the other hand, have been able to enjoy this perk for quite some time.