Google may eventually limit the amount of storage space available for your WhatsApp chat backup on Google Drive. There are rumblings of a restricted storage plan in the works, which might become the default for all WhatsApp users on Android in the future. Once the stated limit is reached, users will be required to pay for additional storage for conversation backups.
WABetaInfo discovered the functionality under development. A snapshot of it displays many strings referring to modifications to Google Drive and the storage space given to WhatsApp chat backups. The strings plainly reference a variable in words like “Backup limit is” and “Google Drive backup changing.” In addition, the strings display additional user notifications related to the development, such as “Google Drive approaching full” and “Google Drive limit surpassed.”
There is currently no information on a paid storage plan or how much storage Google will allocate to the chat backup. For iPhones, Apple uses the complimentary 5GB iCloud storage for WhatsApp backups. When that limit is reached, which is typically rapidly, customers may upgrade to ordinary iCloud+ storage to enable additional WhatsApp files as well as other phone data.
If Google takes a similar strategy, WhatsApp backup on Android phones may soon be counted against the free 15GB that Google Drive gives to all users. When this limit is reached, customers will be forced to purchase Google One plans beginning at Rs 130 per month for an additional 100GB.
This is just another indication that Google may take a similar approach on WhatsApp backups. So, much like iPhone users, individuals who use WhatsApp on Android should be prepared to limit conversation backups in the future.