Whatsapp Chat Backups Will Now Use Your Google Drive Storage

Yeah, for as long as I can remember, chat backups on Android haven’t counted towards your Google Drive storage. And it has been a boon for users who don’t overstuff their cloud storage with tons of photos, files, and such. However, with the latest announcements from Google and WhatsApp, that is about to change starting this December.
The messaging giant has confirmed that the change will first roll out to WhatsApp Beta users in December this year. Since I’m one, I will update you once I see the change is live on my end. As for others, the change won’t be that immediate and will reach all Android users in the first half of 2024.
“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,” reads the Google support page. So, going forward, remember that you’ll need to have storage space available in your Drive to back up your WhatsApp chats and media.
Furthermore, while you are there, we suggest you set up and enable the “end-to-end encrypted backups” option. This will allow you to keep your messages secure even when they are saved on Google’s servers.
That being said, you will now need to keep a closer eye on your Google Drive storage quota. WhatsApp chat backup being paused due to a lack of storage space can hurt you when switching or resetting your phone. All of your latest messages will be lost in the process. So, make sure to always have free storage space or get additional space with Google One.
What are your thoughts on this change? I mean it makes sense considering the enormous number of Android users in countries like India, Brazil, and other regions where WhatsApp is the primary messenger app.