If you’re constantly afraid of losing Google Drive space because of WhatsApp chat backups, here’s a sigh of relief for you. The messaging giant has announced that WhatsApp backups will no longer count towards the Google Drive storage quota from 28 November.
This applies to chats backups with media as well, WhatsApp said.
This means that if you’re using the free Google Drive plan with 15GB, you’ll be able to backup your WhatsApp media separately, without using up your original quota. However, WhatsApp has also stated that backups that haven’t been updated in more than one year will be automatically removed from Google Drive storage. So, it’s advised that you backup your chats periodically to avoid losing it.
How to create a backup on Google Drive?
News Today is here to help you out. Simply open WhatsApp and go to Menu > Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
Then, tap on ‘Back up to Google Drive’ and choose the frequency of how often you want to backup. You’ll need your Google account to do this, so remember your login and sign in to your google account. You can also select the Google account you’ve used to link your Android device.
We recommend using a WiFi connection while backing up for better speed and avoiding additional data charges by your internet service provider.
How to delete an existing backup?
If you wish to delete an existing chat backup, you’ll have to open the Google Drive on your desktop. If you don’t have access to a desktop then you can open the Drive website on your phone browser in the ‘desktop version’.
Click on the cogwheel icon on the top right corner and select Settings > Manage Apps. Look out for WhatsApp in the list. It might take a few moments to appear. Now, Click on Options> Delete hidden app data. Then click on delete to remove your WhatsApp backup.