image credit: WhatsApp 

Google recently started counting WhatsApp backups against the allotted cloud storage limit. This means an Android user can no longer back up their messages on Google Drive for free, especially if they have a large data set of over 15 GB. The same also applies to iPhone users, where chat backups are counted against iCloud storage, which is limited to 5 GB without an iCloud+ subscription.

If you are a WhatsApp user on either the Android or iOS platform, here is how you can reduce your backup size to save your precious cloud storage:

1. Disable auto media download

Disabling auto media download ensures that your WhatsApp data does not contain unwanted multimedia such as videos and photos. This is a must-follow tip, especially for those who have a lot of groups that receive “good morning” and “good evening” wishes. While these images may be small, in the long run, they end up occupying a lot of storage.

2. Do not include videos in the chat backup

Videos also take up a lot of space when backing up WhatsApp chats. Simply disabling the “include videos” option in the WhatsApp backup menu can significantly reduce the size of the backup data. This is especially important with the recently introduced HD media option, which allows users to send high-resolution photos and videos on WhatsApp without reducing the quality.

3. Turn on disappearing messages

Enabling disappearing messages on WhatsApp ensures that messages and media will automatically get deleted after a specific time. This will also significantly reduce the backup size. WhatsApp currently allows users to enable disappearing messages for all contacts, or they can choose specific chats to automatically erase messages.

Bonus tip

If you have a lot of important data, including multimedia, on WhatsApp, then there is no other option than buying additional cloud storage from Google or Apple, respectively. A monthly basic Google One subscription plan costs Rs 130 a month and offers 100 GB of cloud storage (including the free 15 GB). On the other hand, the iCloud+ subscription is slightly cheaper, with the basic plan costing Rs 75 a month and offering 50 GB of cloud storage. The 200 GB plan is priced at Rs 219 a month and can also be shared with friends and family.