If you are a user of WhatsApp On Android, we have bad news. The company announced that backups will count towards your storage limit from your Google account. This means you could run out of space when backing up your conversations.
The end of unlimited backups in Drive has been the subject of rumors for months, especially after Google limited its free cloud storage. The expected day has arrived and the Help Center website published an entry in which they offer more information about this decision, as well as the dates on which it will come into force.
“In the coming months, if you decide to make a backup of your WhatsApp chats on an Android device, it will begin to count towards the storage limit of your Google account,” the company mentions. “If you exceed that limit, you will need to free up space on your Google account to resume backups”
The Beta users They will be the first to receive the adjustment starting December 2023. The rest will do during the first half of 2024. WhatsApp confirmed that it will notify 30 days in advance before the change occurs through a notification in the section Backup. The help section does not specify whether the alert will be displayed outside the window. Settings.
On the other hand, Google also published a notice detailing the changes coming to WhatsApp. The technology company mentions that The decision is aligned with what happens on other mobile platforms. However, it emphasizes that Google accounts include 15 GB of shared storage, three times more than what iCloud offers.
What will happen to WhatsApp backups if you run out of space?
According to Google, WhatsApp backups on Android They will continue to work as long as you have space available in your account storage. If you exceed the 15 GB quota, you can delete files using the Google One administration panel. Remember that the space is divided between services such as Gmail, Photos, Drive and your device backups.
Another alternative will be free up space directly on WhatsApp. The messaging client has a tool that organizes conversations by file size and allows review and delete those that weigh more than 5 MB. Likewise, it separates those that have been forwarded many times so that you can delete them individually or in groups.
If you tend to send a lot of photos, videos or voice messages, remember that everything counts towards the storage limit. Memes, hoaxes or PDF documents also take up space, so it is advisable to access the tool regularly within Settings → Storage and data → Manage storage.
Another trick to avoid running out of space in your Google account is delete videos from WhatsApp backups. To do this you must go to Settings → Chats → Backup and disable the option Include videos.
Google mentioned that Workspace work and education accounts will not be affected by the measure at this time. For its part, WhatsApp indicated that if you do not want to backup chats to your Google account, you can transfer them via Wi-Fi Direct between two Android devices. To do this you must download the app on the second mobile, verify your number and select the option Transfer chat history from old phone.