WhatsApp started offering Google Drive backup option back in 2015 for Android users to back up entire WhatsApp history right to Google Drive. Details about WhatsApp limiting the unlimited storage surfaced last year.
Today, WhatsApp and Google have confirmed that unlimited Google Drive backup is ending soon. So, you will only get the 15GB of storage that you get with your Google account hat’s shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos, to back up your WhatsApp content.
Regarding this, Google said:
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.
However, Google confirmed that the storage quota is not impacted for users with Google Workspace subscription through work or school. WhatsApp now offers easy chat transfer to other devices that doesn’t rely on Google Drive, which comes in handy if you have limited Google Drive storage.
When does this come into effect?
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 2024.