Bad news for Android users: WhatsApp, the messaging application owned by Meta, plans to charge a fee for a very popular feature. If you use WhatsApp regularly, you may be affected by this change.
Google Drive: an end announced for free storage of discussions
WhatsApp is one of the applications of messaging the most appreciated in the world, in particular for its numerous functionalities and the regularity of its updates. One of the most useful features for Android users is the ability to save chat history to Google Drive for free. This allows you to easily transfer your discussions in the event of a change of smartphone, a significant convenience for those used to the application.
Currently, Google allows unlimited storage of WhatsApp history on Google Drive, without this being taken into account in the 15 GB of free storage offered with a Google account. But all this is about to change: Google has decided to no longer offer this unlimited storage space for WhatsApp.
What does this mean for users?
Concretely, if you use WhatsApp intensively, exchange videos, photos, and your chat history is large, the free 15 GB of Google Drive may fill up very quickly. Even more so if you also use Google Drive for other files or Google Photos for your images. We quickly understand that 15 GB can be reached without difficulty, especially with the accumulation of multimedia content.
What solutions can you continue to back up your WhatsApp data?
For Android users, there are several solutions available to you, although some require you to put your hand in your wallet. The first option is to sign up for a Google One subscription. The basic offer offers 100 GB for 1.99 euros per month, and the standard offer, 200 GB for 2.99 euros per month. This should be more than enough to backup your WhatsApp history as well as other files.
Another solution, free this time, is to create a new account Google specifically for storing your WhatsApp data. It takes a little extra work to set up the app, but you'll get 15GB exclusively for your conversations.
Finally, you can also opt for regular cleaning of your chats to reduce the size of backup files. This method requires discipline, but it can save you space without having to pay.
For now, storage remains free, but that shouldn't last much longer. It is therefore time to think about the best method to continue to protect your digital memories without unpleasant surprises.
