WhatsApp is building its own cloud backup — and encryption comes standard
WhatsApp is developing its own cloud storage for chat backups, cutting out Google Drive and iCloud in the process. The feature — spotted first in the Android beta, now appearing in iOS testing — would let users store their message history directly on Meta's own infrastructure. At $0.99 a month for 50GB, it would undercut comparable tiers from both Apple and Google.
The pitch
Right now, Android users back up to Google Drive and iPhone users to iCloud. WhatsApp wants to offer a third option. The key difference is encryption: backups stored on WhatsApp's own servers would be end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning Meta itself couldn't read your chats without your passkey, password, or 64-digit recovery key. On Google Drive and iCloud, that same encryption is optional — most users never turn it on.
If you want unencrypted backups, the only route stays through Google or Apple. That's a deliberate choice, and it lines up with the privacy messaging WhatsApp has pushed on its official site for years.
The storage math
The free tier lands at 2GB — fine for text-heavy chats, tight if you share a lot of video. The 50GB paid plan at roughly $0.99/month is where it gets competitive. Google One charges $2.99/month for 100GB (shared across all your Google data), and Apple charges the same for 50GB of iCloud storage. WhatsApp's dedicated backup tier, reported by WABetaInfo, would be cheaper — though it covers WhatsApp data only.
The timing matters. Google quietly stopped offering unlimited WhatsApp backup space in early 2024, folding it into your shared Google storage quota instead. That change pushed millions of users closer to their limits overnight.
Still in testing
No official release date has been confirmed. The feature is currently visible to a limited group of beta testers on both Android and iOS, and final pricing could change before any public rollout. Meta hasn't commented publicly. It's also unclear whether the free 2GB tier will be available to all users or tied to a WhatsApp Plus subscription.
FTC scrutiny of Meta's data practices remains active in the US, and UK regulators have kept a close eye on the company too. Mandatory encryption is a genuine differentiator — but it will also draw questions about where exactly these backups are stored and who can access them under legal compulsion.