Upcoming changes to WhatsApp chat history backup on Android

As an important heads up, WhatsApp backups on Android will soon start counting toward your Google Account cloud storage limit, similar to how WhatsApp backups are handled on other mobile platforms. This change will first start rolling out to WhatsApp Beta users starting in December 2023, then gradually to all WhatsApp users on Android starting early next year.

If you choose to enable WhatsApp backups on Android, personal Google Accounts come with 15GB of storage at no charge – 3X more than most mobile platforms – that’s shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. 

WhatsApp backups on Android will continue to work, as long as you have available space within your Google Account storage. If you hit your storage limit, you’ll need to free up space to resume backups by removing items you do not need. 

If you have a personal Google Account, our storage management tools can help you do things like removing large files or photos. You can also delete items directly from WhatsApp. Deleting items from WhatsApp deletes them from your cloud storage, reducing storage used by your next WhatsApp backup. You also have the option to get more storage with Google One. Learn more about what storage is right for your account here. To help you with the transition, we will soon provide eligible users limited, one-time Google One promotions.

If you have a Google Workspace subscription through work or school, your storage quota is not impacted at this time.  

Going forward, WhatsApp backup experience on Android will be in line with how it works on other platforms, with the added benefit of Google's 15 GB of storage available at no charge. We’ll continue to work with WhatsApp to provide you with reliable and secure backup support. Please stay tuned for more updates.