WhatsApp, owned by Meta, will soon discontinue the free Google Drive storage currently available to Android users for backing up their chat history, including images and videos. As a result of these changes, WhatsApp data stored on Google Drive will begin counting toward the 15GB storage limit. Users will also have the option to subscribe to Google One for additional storage.
In a November post, Google announced, “WhatsApp backups on Android will soon start counting toward your Google Account cloud storage limit, just like WhatsApp backups on other platforms.” This change is expected to roll out first to WhatsApp Beta users in December 2023, with broader availability to all Android users starting early in 2024.
WhatsApp has confirmed that users will be notified 30 days before the change takes effect, through a banner in WhatsApp under Settings > Chats > Chat backup. The Beta version of WhatsApp already displays a message saying, “Backups will start using your Google storage in the next few months.”
How to manage your WhatsApp storage without a Google One subscription
For users who exceed the 15GB storage limit and prefer not to subscribe to Google One, WhatsApp is still offering alternative ways to manage storage. One option is to use WhatsApp’s chat transfer feature when switching to a new Android device. This allows users to move their chats without needing to store them on Google’s cloud.
It’s important to note that these changes will only impact Android users, as WhatsApp does not provide free cloud storage on iOS. Additionally, Apple offers just 5GB of free storage for non-paying users, compared to Google’s 15GB.