If you are a WhatsApp user and have an Android device, you will surely have noticed that backups of the instant messaging application will no longer be free for everyone. Due to a recent change in Google policies , copies of your chats, including videos and images, will start taking up space.
Until recently, this feature was free, but with the new change, you’ll have to pay if you exceed the free 15 GB that Google Drive offers for personal accounts.
Settings to keep your WhatsApp backups on Google Drive for free.
There is no need to panic. You can keep your WhatsApp backups in the Google cloud without paying a single euro , to do so, you just have to make a few small adjustments in the mobile application: disable the backup of videos, which is the most important, and disable automatic downloads, two easy and simple processes:
Disable video backup
- Open WhatsApp on your mobile and go to Settings.
- Go to the Chats section and tap on Backup .
- It is important that you uncheck the Include videos option .
- This way, your backup won’t contain these files that take up too much space.
Control automatic downloads
- Navigate to WhatsApp Settings .
- In the Storage & data section , turn off all options on the Auto-download tab .
- From now on, download only the files you really need, thus reducing the size of your backups.
To save space in WhatsApp backups and avoid having to pay extra for space on Google Drive, it is essential not to include videos, which are the largest files . It is also advisable to disable automatic file downloads, to avoid unnecessary or unwanted content being stored on the device.
With these simple tweaks, you can continue backing up your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive without paying anything and without worrying about exceeding the free 15 GB storage limits of your Google account . However, if you exceed this space, you can always opt for Google One , which offers affordable plans for all budgets.