WhatsApp's beta Android users to lose unlimited Google Drive backups; shift signals changes for all users in coming months. (Gadget 360)
WhatsApp, the widely used messaging application, has initiated a significant change affecting users who opt for beta updates on Android devices. According to reports from MySmartPrice, the platform is discontinuing its provision of unlimited chat backups on Google Drive for these beta testers. This development follows a prior announcement made in collaboration with Google, signaling the eventual discontinuation of this service for all Android users, regardless of beta participation.
The alteration has started to become apparent as WhatsApp prompts users accessing beta versions on Android. Users encountering this change will notice a notification within the app's settings, specifically in the Chats > Chat backup section. The notification informs them that modifications will take effect within a 30-day window. However, it seems that this notification rollout might be staggered, as some users, upon updating to the latest beta version from the Play Store, have not yet received the notification, as per Gadgets 360.
The decision to modify the backup storage policy was initially announced by WhatsApp and Google in November, stipulating its implementation for beta testers in December, followed by a broader rollout to all users by the first half of 2024. Affected beta testers are being notified via a banner, alerting them that their chat backups will begin utilizing their allocated Google Drive storage space within a month.
This change in policy marks a departure from the long-standing practice of providing unlimited chat backups on Google Drive, a service that did not consume storage capacity. WhatsApp's decision arrives five years after it initially partnered with Google to offer this feature. Notably, Google Drive typically allocates 15GB of free storage to all accounts, a more generous provision compared to Apple and Microsoft, both of which offer 5GB of free cloud storage.
This move by Google is not an isolated incident, as the tech giant has previously implemented limitations on free cloud storage services. In 2022, Google discontinued the provision of unlimited "original" photo backups for Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL users, three years post the phones' launch. Furthermore, the company had ceased unlimited and free photo backups for all users in 2020, citing an overwhelming volume of uploads from its vast user base, which surpassed a billion users with over 4 trillion uploads and 28 billion weekly uploads at the time.
