WhatsApp's Unlimited Google Drive Backup May End Soon

WhatsApp backups on Google Drive may no longer get unlimited storage space in the future as some references surfaced online to suggest a limit for backups for Android devices is in the works. WhatsApp users on iPhone already have limited space for storing backups on iCloud. This is, however, not the case with Android users as they have so far been provided with unlimited storage on Google Drive for keeping their chat backups. WhatsApp may introduce some changes to help users manage their backup size on Android.

As per a report by WhatsApp beta tracker WABetaInfo, some strings have appeared in the code of the instant messaging app that suggests the update in place.

A screenshot shared by WABetaInfo shows the strings that indicate notifications for informing users when Google Drive is almost full and is reaching the given quota. These alerts could be given when users back up their chats on WhatsApp. Further, users may be provided with the options to exclude certain file types from being backed up to avoid filling their given limit.

The reported code suggests that Google would offer a certain quota for storing WhatsApp backups. It could be over and above the existing 15GB free storage available on Google Drive. The change is unlike the current case where Google Drive has unlimited storage for keeping backups from WhatsApp.

WhatsApp backups appear to get limited storage space on Google Drive
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

A support page shows that WhatsApp backups at present do not use the Google Drive storage limit available to users. However, iPhone users do not have this privilege as Apple considers WhatsApp backups as a part of their iCloud storage allocation.

Gadgets 360 has reached out to both WhatsApp and Google for comments on the update. This article will be updated when the companies in question respond.

It would not be surprising to see Google ending unlimited storage allocation for WhatsApp backups as the company last year ended the unlimited free storage benefit given to users for Google Photos. The change may be considered as a move to convince users to get paid Google One plans that start from Rs. 130 a month in India ($1.99 in the US) for the basic 100GB cloud storage access.

In September, WhatsApp introduced end-to-end encrypted cloud backups for both Android and iOS devices to protect chats. The feature rolled out to users worldwide in October.