For Android smartphone homeowners, it’s about to turn into a little bit of a headache to save lots of backups of your WhatsApp messages. Customers have loved free backups of WhatsApp messages on Android for the previous 5 years, however quickly these customers might want to begin paying to protect their collections of heartfelt messages from members of the family and peculiar memes from buddies.
This variation comes as Google Drive makes some changes to its knowledge storage coverage in 2024. Google presently affords 15 GB of free storage for all customers, and prospects who need extra room for his or her knowledge will pay for a Google One subscription. Beforehand, Meta and Google had a deal the place WhatsApp backups on Android didn’t rely towards this 15-GB restrict, however now that association is ending.
The limitless, free backups are already gone for some beta customers, and common customers could obtain a WhatsApp notification or e-mail from Google a month earlier than their backup scenario adjustments. Whereas a bigger rollout is anticipated to occur early this yr, the precise timeline stays unclear, so it is best to organize now.
What’s Google’s reasoning behind this transformation? An organization spokesperson identified WhatsApp’s rising person base and the proliferation of extra data-intensive messages, like high-resolution photos, as one motive. Over 1.5 billion folks used the messaging app month-to-month in 2018 when Google first stopped counting WhatsApp knowledge as a part of a person’s storage restrict. Though Meta declined to supply an up to date rely of month-to-month energetic WhatsApp customers, it’s doable that the messaging app’s person base has continued to develop steadily within the 4 years since Meta celebrated WhatsApp’s 2 billion person milestone.
One technique for decreasing the quantity of backup knowledge you want for WhatsApp is to experiment with disappearing messages for much less necessary texts that you simply don’t actually care about saving. Additionally, contemplate scaling again the storage in your Gmail or Google Images to unencumber more room and hold your Google account beneath the 15-GB restrict. Have so many messages to again up that weaning it down feels not possible? It’s possible you’ll want to contemplate upgrading your storage allotment by paying for a Google One plan.
What’s Included With Google One?
The most cost effective Google One tier for private accounts begins at $2 a month or $20 a yr for entry to 100 GB of storage. That 100 GB of area may be shared by as much as 5 folks, or you’ll be able to hold all of it to your self. Want much more room? A 200-GB plan for Google One prices $30 a yr, and a huge 2-TB plan prices $100 a yr. Preserve a watch out for potential offers, as Google may provide trials to new customers because the WhatsApp backup change rolls out.
Together with the elevated cupboard space, Google One subscribers get entry to extra enhancing options for Google Images, just like the Magic Eraser software. Subscribers to the 200-GB plan additionally obtain 3 p.c retailer credit score again when buying the Google Retailer, and people on the 2-TB plan get 10 p.c again. To not be confused with the Google Play Retailer for smartphone apps, this retailer credit score applies to the net Google Retailer the place the Pixel 8, Pixel Buds Professional, and different Google {hardware} is accessible for buy. Take a look at our breakdown of Google One for the whole lot that’s included with the totally different tiers.
Contemplate the WhatsApp Chat Switch
Whereas it’s not the identical as having your WhatApp messages backed up free of charge, the app does now embrace a function that makes it simpler to switch your chat historical past from one Android cellphone to a different, or from one iPhone to a different. Go to the FAQ part of WhatApp’s web site for a full walk-through of the method, which might come in useful the following time you improve your handset. Switching from Android to iPhone, or vice versa? It’s nonetheless doable to switch chats, though some further steps are concerned. You’ll have to have the similar cellphone quantity on each gadgets for chat transfers to work.
One other caveat price declaring is that your telephones should be related to the web. The WhatsApp information recommends connecting each telephones to an influence supply as effectively through the switch, though no cords have been plugged into the Android telephones in a video demonstrating the function posted by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on social media.
