WhatsApp will delete your chats, photos and videos if you don’t back it up soon – here’s how
Everything you need to know about the update
In many ways, WhatsApp has been a blessing and a curse. Sure, it was great in the beginning when you could share those memes with your mates in a group chat and gossip with your colleagues about the people in your office who were clearly getting off with each other every lunchtime in the toilet cubicles.
But then, inevitably, the things we love must crumble before our very eyes. Many WhatsApp chats are now riddled with inane chatter about family members who you really don’t give a flying toss about and some have even become unbearably toxic. And in certain parts of the world, fake news has spread like wildfire on the messaging service leading to violence and even death.
If, however, you’re still getting those green notifications on your phone (and tbh you probably are) then you’ll want to know about WhatsApp’s latest development.
WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, works in partnership with Google Drive to allow users to back up their data to the online storage service. And from 12 November, every time you back up your WhatsApp info it will no longer count towards your Google Drive storage quota, which is handy.
But the flip side to this announcement is that if your WhatsApp backups haven’t been updated in more than a year, then your chats, photos and videos will be automatically removed from Google Drive’s storage.
“To avoid the loss of any backups, we recommend you manually back up your WhatsApp data before November 12, 2018,” the company said online.
WhatsApp works with Google Drive to save all those “hilarious” videos your mates send you
Here’s how to create a Google Drive backup:
First, open up WhatsApp, then tap Menu > Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
Tap Back up to Google Drive and select a Google account that you’ll back up your chat history to. If you don’t have a Google account, tap Add account when prompted and enter your login credentials.
“We recommend connecting your phone to Wi-Fi prior to backing up your chats via Google Drive, as backup files can vary in size and consume mobile data, causing additional charges,” WhatsApp adds.
(Images: Getty)
