Google to soon stop free unlimited WhatsApp backup

Google will soon stop offering free unlimited backups for WhatsApp files, instead one may have to pay a certain amount to use the synchronisation service on Google Drive, WABetaInfo said in a report. However, the amount is still uncertain. 

The report said that Google is planning to stop offering the unlimited plan to store WhatsApp backups. 

WhatsApp, however, will bring in an update that will notify the users about the nearing limit, the report said, adding that the users will be given the option to go paid.  

Also read: WhatsApp might soon have two-step authentication for additional safety

Referring to a screenshot, it said, “As you can see in this screenshot, we have shown some important strings that explain what’s changing in a future update. In particular, they are planning to introduce changes for backups (Google Drive backup changing), notifications about when Google Drive is almost full, when the limit is reached and information about when the changes take effect (“%1$s limit starts on %2$s.”).”   

The report also regretted denying such changes in the past. “We have initially preferred to mark the news as a rumour since we wanted to show you some real evidence about our conclusion, and the day has come,” it said.   

Launched in 2012, Google Drive allows smartphone users to store files on its servers, synchronise files across devices. The company usually offers 15GB of free storage to users to be used across Gmail, Photos, Google Drive, etc. 

Also, WhatsApp doesn’t have an agreement with Apple. However, Apple offers free 5GB of cloud storage for every Apple ID and that includes WhatsApp backups.