WhatsApp Drops Support for Unlimited Chat Backups on Google Drive With Latest Beta Update: Report

The cloud storage policy update for beta testers comes five years after Google and WhatsApp partnered to offer unlimited chat backups on Google Drive.

Advertisement
Written by David Delima | Updated: 2 January 2024 17:46 IST
Highlights
  • WhatsApp will inform users affected by the updated storage policy
  • Beta testers on Android won't have access to unlimited chat backups
  • WhatsApp users on Android might have to purchase additional storage
WhatsApp Drops Support for Unlimited Chat Backups on Google Drive With Latest Beta Update: Report

WhatsApp users have enjoyed access to unlimited chat backups on Android since 2018

WhatsApp has reportedly begun dropping support for unlimited chat backups on Google Drive for users who have signed up to receive beta updates of the popular messaging app. The platform will no longer offer free cloud storage for users on Android smartphones — similar to users who access WhatsApp on iOS. While the change currently affects beta testers, the Meta-owned messaging platform is also expected to discontinue free storage on Google Drive for all users on Android smartphones in the coming weeks or months.

MySmartPrice reports that WhatsApp has started to drop support for unlimited chat backups on Google Drive for beta testers on Android. The app will display a banner in the app's settings under ChatsChat backup informing users that the changes will go into effect within 30 days. The change could be rolling out to testers in batches — Gadgets 360 was unable to reproduce the message on WhatsApp for Android after updating to the latest beta version from the Play Store.

Last November, WhatsApp and Google announced that the firms were discontinuing unlimited chat backups via Google Drive for users on Android. The change was supposed to roll out to beta testers in December and to all users in the first half of 2024, according to the timeline provided by the messaging platform. 

Beta testers who are affected by the change will see a banner informing them that they have a month before chat backups start to count towards their Google Drive storage quota. The updated storage policy comes five years after WhatsApp and Google started to offer unlimited chat backups that wouldn't take up space on Google Drive — the company offers 15GB of free storage for all accounts, which is higher than Apple and Microsoft that both offer 5GB of free cloud storage.

Advertisement

This isn't the first move from Google to limit access to free storage on its cloud services. In February 2022, the company ended support for unlimited "original" photo backups for Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL owners, three years after the phones were launched. The company dropped support for unlimited and free photo backups for all users back in 2020, stating that it had over a billion users at the time with over 4 trillion uploads and 28 billion weekly uploads from users.


Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Nothing Phone 3 Surfaces on Walmart Website Which Reaffirms Its US Launch
  2. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition Review: A Premium All-Rounder with a Few Rough Edges
  3. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Price Lowered on Amazon
  1. NASA Chandra Spots Distant X-Ray Jet; Telescope Faces Major Budget Cuts
  2. JWST Reveals Pluto’s Haze Cools Atmosphere, Paints Charon’s Poles Red
  3. Earth’s Oceans Enter Danger Zone Due to Rising Acidification, New Study Warns
  4. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24 Price Lowered on Amazon With Discounts, Cashback Offers
  5. Maryade Prashne Now Streaming on SunNXT: Everything You Need to Know
  6. Good Wife OTT Release: When and Where to Watch Tamil Legal Drama Online?
  7. Android 16 QPR1 Beta 2 Update for Pixel Reportedly Brings New Launch Animation for Gemini Overlay
  8. Jinn - The Pet OTT Release Date: When and Where to Where to Watch Tamil Horror-Comedy Online?
  9. DD Next Level Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch This Tamil Horror-Comedy
  10. Nothing Phone 3 Listed on Walmart Website, Reaffirming Its Launch in the US
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.