You might need more Google Drive storage very soon as WhatsApp will start using it up for backups next month. This news comes from a joint announcement from Google and WhatsApp.
This means that WhatsApp backups will now use the default 15 GB of storage that comes for free with Google accounts. This change will be effective next month for beta users and will gradually roll out to all Android users eventually. WhatsApp will soon show a banner indicating the days left before this change.
Thankfully, buying extra Google One storage is not expensive as the company has several offers and plans. The basic 100 GB plan can be bought for Rs. 52 per month in Pakistan for 3 months, and after that it’s Rs. 209 every month. This can be shared with up to 5 other users and also gets you exclusive workspace features as well as dark web monitoring for stolen passwords.
For Rs. 84 per month, you can get 200 GB of storage for 3 months and then you have to pay Rs. 339 every month. The most expensive tier offers 2 TB of storage for Rs. 262 a month and then Rs. 1049 after 3 months.
For those not willing to buy it, Google also offers tools to clean up your storage on Drive and Photos to make more space.
This development likely has to do with Google trying to get more people to buy its cloud storage. Back in 2021, Google limited the cloud storage for all its free accounts to 15 GB, but this has not affected WhatsApp backups since then. Some Google Pixel owners also complained about not getting any extra Google One storage even though all Pixel phones come with unlimited Drive storage by default.
