A few days ago, Google and WhatsApp announced an important change that will affect all WhatsApp users on Android: Media and chat backups will start taking up space in Google’s cloud storage limit starting in December 2023.
This change marks a before and after with respect to the 2018 policy, when backups stopped affecting Google Drive storage.
This includes the 15 GB free that Google provides with each account, a figure that the company highlights as “3 times more than most mobile platforms”, thus underlining its apparent “generosity” compared to iOS and iCloud.
The implementation of this change will begin next month for WhatsApp Beta users and will be rolled out gradually for all WhatsApp users on Android during the first half of 2024.
Your WhatsApp backups now count in Google storage on Android
As mentioned, users will be notified about the change through a banner in WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup, appearing 30 days before the modification takes place.
Google, aware of the importance of managing storage, points out that it offers you management tools to quickly delete photos and other large files. Another suggestion is to reduce the space used in future WhatsApp backups by deleting unnecessary items in the application.
For those looking for a more comprehensive solution, Google One offers storage plans that start at $1.99 per month for 100GB. Besides, To ease the transition, limited, one-time Google One promotions announced.
It is important to note that these changes will apply exclusively to personal Google accounts. If you are a Google Workspace user through work or your university or college, this will not be affected at this time. With all this, If you are close to your storage limit, you will need to free up space by deleting items you no longer need.
