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What’s happening?
WhatsApp, a Meta-owned social media company, is removing the free Google Drive storage space previously granted to Android users for keeping their chat history, photos, and videos. WhatsApp data stored on Google Drive will now contribute to the 15GB storage restriction, asking users to either manage their storage within this limit or consider a Google One membership.
Google released a significant update in November, writing, “As an important heads up, WhatsApp backups on Android will soon start counting toward your Google Account cloud storage limit, similar to how WhatsApp backups are handled on other mobile platforms.” Starting in December 2023, this modification will be sent out to WhatsApp Beta users, then progressively to all users.
Google One
The application has stated that the impending changes would be deployed for all users in 2024, and the firm intends to notify users 30 days in advance. This notification will appear in the app’s settings as a banner under Chats > Chat backup.
The current WhatsApp Beta app version already displays a notification that says, “Backups will start using your Google storage in the next few months.”
Subscribing to Google One may be the best alternative for the app users who have exceeded the 15GB storage restriction. If you don’t want to keep your conversations on your Google account, you can use the chat transfer option while switching to a new Android device. Users can now transfer files between Android devices without relying on Google Drive storage.
It’s a bad time to be an android and WhatsApp user
It is crucial to note that these changes will only affect Android users, as the application does not offer free storage on iOS. Furthermore, Apple provides only 5GB of free storage to non-paying customers, as opposed to Google’s more generous 15GB.
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