WhatsApp is known for keeping your old data including including chats, photos, videos and other files, safe for a long period of time. But the Facebook-owned instant messaging platform is soon going to change the way it backs up your data. And in the process, you might end up losing all of your old content.
In a bid to enhance the user experience, WhatsApp is bringing a major update to the app on November 12. The company has tied-up with Google, which will offer unlimited storage to WhatsApp users on Google Drive. This essentially means your backed-up WhatsApp messages, photos, and videos will not be counted against the 15GB of storage offered by Google Drive.
“Starting November 12, 2018, WhatsApp backups will no longer count towards the Google Drive storage quota,” a statement from WhatsApp read.
This is, obviously, a welcome change that everyone of us will cherish. But, on the flip side, WhatsApp will also delete some of your old content. Starting November 12, WhatsApp will delete data from Google Drive that hasn't been updated for more than one year.
“Furthermore, WhatsApp backups that haven’t been updated in more than one year will be automatically removed from Google Drive storage,” the statement read.
So if you don't want to lose any of your WhatsApp content, back up them manually before November 12, 2018.
You can tap on 'Back up over' to pick the network. Wi-fi or cellular, you want to use for backup. You are advised to use Wi-Fi, as backup files can vary in size and consume large amount of mobile data, causing additional charges.