Google earlier confirmed that the unlimited Google Drive WhatsApp chat backup would soon end for Android smartphone users. This change means that WhatsApp chat backups will eventually count towards the existing 15GB free storage plan for Android users.
Now, several Android users claim that the changes have already started rolling out to the beta version users of WhatsApp. The changes are expected to roll out for all users by the first half of 2024.
WhatsApp Stops Unlimited Google Drive Chat Backup
Android beta users confirm that the WhatsApp backup, which includes chats, images, and videos, now counts towards the available storage in Google Drive.
The company will provide a notification of 30 days period. The users who have exhausted their free Google Drive storage will be required to purchase additional storage space.
Users should noted that WhatsApp has introduced another way to backup and restore the chats to new smartphones without requiring Google Drive.
The old and new smartphones must be connected to the same network for transferring chats. Meta confirms that an active internet connection is not necessary to facilitate the transfer.