No more unlimited Google Drive storage for WhatsApp backups
WhatsApp backups on Android are stored on Google Drive. Depending on how long you’ve used the app and what kind of chats you have, these backups can be small, or they can be massive, especially with photos and videos being backed up as well.
For the longest time ever, Google did not count WhatsApp backup towards Google Drive’s storage cap, but that will change. Starting in December, WhatsApp beta users will have their backups count towards their Google Drive storage limit, and in early 2024, it will apply to everyone else.
How will this affect you? Like we said, it really depends on how big your backups are. I’ve personally seen some backups that go up to 100GB as they are full of photos and video files, but there are some backups that are a fraction of that as the user only chooses to save their chat logs and photos.
If you’re in the former camp, you might need to start considering purchasing Google One cloud storage otherwise your WhatsApp backups will start making a serious dent in the storage that Google Drive offers for free to users. You’ve got a bit of time as these changes only kick off next month for beta users and early 2024 for everyone else, so either start clearing up your Google Drive storage or start paying for it.
Source: Android Police