this post was submitted on 14 Nov 2023
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Android

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all 39 comments
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[–] derin@lemmy.beru.co 86 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I mean, makes sense to me. You're storing your data on someone else's servers, makes sense that it would count towards your storage quota on said servers.

Having said that, it's really shitty that they've removed local backups (and that they don't allow other third party services beyond Google Drive and Apple iCloud).

Another reason to not use WhatsApp (or to use another backup solution), I guess.

[–] kratoz29@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Having said that, it's really shitty that they've removed local backups

Every day I love Swiftbackup more, indeed I have been using this solution even for WhatsApp.

[–] hunt4peas@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Same, for the last two years.

[–] nottheengineer@feddit.de 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)

You're storing unencrypted data on google drive with those backups, so they scan all of your chats. Whether they just look for malware/CSAM or people manually look through your chats is something you'll never know.

[–] skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

[This comment has been deleted by an automated system]

I mourn for the poor worker who needs to look through all my dick pics

[–] voracread@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

When did they remove local backups? Or is it removed for someone who has opted for Google Drive backup?

I never chose cloud option, so I have my local backup. Android by the way.

[–] Magiccupcake@startrek.website 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

But it's text, an entire persons message history can be stored very cheaply.

A million words is only 2MB.

Most people are expexted to text less than 10 millions words in a lifetime.

An entire persons lifetime message history is only 20MB, that's trivial to store.

If they want to charge to save media, thats fine, but text backups should be free

[–] GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Does it have an option to back up only text, without images and other media?

I don't use WhatsApp, but my Signal backup is several gigs because of images and videos.

[–] Zeroxxx@lemmy.my.id 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In WhatsApp it is possible to back up only text and images, without video. Not modular enough though

[–] Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago

I've just checked. In the UK at least, you can choose to exclude videos from the backup, but not images.

[–] Zeroxxx@lemmy.my.id 2 points 1 year ago

WhatsApp bundles them together, that is the problem. Google does not know how to differentiate it.

[–] beeng@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] derin@lemmy.beru.co 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I personally use Matrix, but to each their own!

[–] beeng@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago

It's on my todo. Signal is an easy install for all.

Yeah whatsapp sucks, but I am tired of trying to convincing my family to switch.

Supposedly because of the EU, they are working on interoperability with other apps.

Just waiting to delete that spyware app.

[–] aprnu@feddit.ch 22 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Hopefully they will make it costly enough so that the people will stop using it and as a result choke MetaZucc's AI data training and research

We can hope but it's the standard nearly everywhere no one will leave esaily

[–] woelkchen@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Hopefully they will make it costly enough so that the people will stop using it and as a result choke MetaZucc’s AI data training and research

Who do you think "they" is? It's not like Google would offer free storage for anything but maybe its own service anyway.

[–] regbin_@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

WhatsApp is e2e encrypted tho

[–] hh93@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

The backups aren't unless you specifically set it up which I guess most people don't

[–] redditReallySucks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Never saw auch a clickbait title.

the backups will count towards your 15gb free quota

Most people do not have a full google drive. This only includes a small portion of the whatsapp users who use google backups.

[–] TheMadnessKing@lemdro.id 3 points 1 year ago

I have seen people having WhatsApp Backup of upwards of 5-8 GB

[–] fishcurry509@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

There's also an option to transfer your chats to another device without backing up to Google drive, but it obviously works only as a transfer tool not as a backup.

[–] Anti_Weeb_Penguin@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hope that sh*t goes bankrupt once and for all.

[–] Zeroxxx@lemmy.my.id 4 points 1 year ago

Narrator: no it will not, not anytime soon.

[–] TheMadnessKing@lemdro.id 5 points 1 year ago

High time WhatsApp allowed backup to other cloud solutions like Dropbox/OndeDrive/others

[–] shiveyarbles@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

Nothing Is for sale, everything is cloud based subscription, dlc's, and micro transactions. And you're also the product.

[–] HaggierRapscallier@feddit.nl 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why are people saying local backups are gone?

[–] portside@monyet.cc 2 points 1 year ago

It does have local backup but I couldn't find how to restore from local backup.

[–] sarmale@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How do you make a local one?

The Android app has an option in settings, chats, and chat backup. I don't see how to make it take a local backup but apparently it has one already recently.

[–] portside@monyet.cc 1 points 1 year ago

Local chat backups on signal are soo convenient and to the point.

[–] fesail@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago

WhatsApp chat backups on Google Drive will no longer be free and will contribute to your Google account storage usage.The new policy is already in effect for WhatsApp beta users and will be rolled out to regular users in the near future. WhatsApp backups will count against your Google account storage limit, which includes the free 15 GB of storage provided with every Google account. Users will receive a WhatsApp notification or email from Google approximately one month before their backup situation changes. To continue backing up your GB WhatsApp Download chats, you may need to free up space in your Google account by deleting unnecessary files or consider upgrading your storage through a Google One subscription.