For Android smartphone house owners, it’s about to turn out to be a little bit of a headache to avoid wasting 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 bizarre memes from associates.
This modification comes as Google Drive makes some changes to its knowledge storage coverage in 2024. Google at the moment 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 arrange now.
What’s Google’s reasoning behind this modification? An organization spokesperson identified WhatsApp’s rising consumer 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 consumer’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 consumer base has continued to develop steadily within the 4 years since Meta celebrated WhatsApp’s 2 billion consumer milestone.
One technique for decreasing the quantity of backup knowledge you want for WhatsApp is to experiment with disappearing messages for much less essential texts that you just don’t actually care about saving. Additionally, take into account scaling again the storage in your Gmail or Google Images to release more room and hold your Google account below the 15-GB restrict. Have so many messages to again up that weaning it down feels inconceivable? Chances are 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 could be shared by as much as 5 folks, or you may hold all of it to your self. Want much more room? A 200-GB plan for Google One prices $30 a yr, and a big 2-TB plan prices $100 a yr. Preserve a watch out for potential offers, as Google may supply trials to new customers because the WhatsApp backup change rolls out.
Together with the elevated space for storing, Google One subscribers get entry to extra enhancing options for Google Images, just like the Magic Eraser instrument. Subscribers to the 200-GB plan additionally obtain 3 p.c retailer credit score again when procuring 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 web 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 all the pieces that’s included with the completely different tiers.
Contemplate the WhatsApp Chat Switch
Whereas it’s not the identical as having your WhatApp messages backed up without cost, the app does now embrace a function that makes it simpler to switch your chat historical past from one Android telephone 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 may turn out to be 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 additional steps are concerned. You’ll must have the identical telephone quantity on each gadgets for chat transfers to work.
One other caveat value declaring is that your telephones should be related to the web. The WhatsApp information recommends connecting each telephones to an influence supply as effectively throughout 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.