Ensuring the safeguarding of your data through cloud platforms and on-premises devices is of utmost importance, regardless of the technological ecosystem you are engaged in. Major technology giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft provide Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for cloud storage.
However, a recent development by Google is set to impact WhatsApp users on the Android platform. Traditionally, Google permitted WhatsApp users on Android to back up an essentially unlimited amount of data to a designated directory in Google Drive.
This practice is undergoing a significant shift as Google plans to impose a cap on this storage quota early next year. According to an announcement on a Google support page, WhatsApp backups on Android will now contribute to your personal Google Account’s cloud storage limit.
This implies that if you back up 4GB of WhatsApp chat data to your free, personal Google Account (which initially provides 15GB of complimentary storage), your available cloud storage will be reduced to 11GB.
Monitoring the space utilization of your backup is possible by navigating to Settings > Chats > Chat backup in WhatsApp. Once your Google Account’s storage capacity is exhausted, backups will cease, necessitating the deletion of content to free up space.
Google advises users to employ its storage management tools to organize data efficiently, eliminating duplicates or unnecessary content. Alternatively, users can opt to purchase additional storage through Google One.
The implementation of this policy change is scheduled to commence for WhatsApp Beta users from December 2023, with general availability expected in early 2024. It is crucial to note that this modification does not currently impact Workspace customers in education and enterprise.
To mitigate the impact on affected users, Google will provide one-time Google One promotions, allowing them to back up more data to the cloud at a reduced cost if needed.
