If you lose or damage your smartphone, you lose more than just the so-called device. You should think of all information stored that may be lost.
Apps such as WhatsApp are not like Google Photos and Google Drive which add some of your important files immediately in the cloud. However, there is a way to save your WhatsApp messages and media so as to prevent catastrophe when you lose or break a phone.
And guess what, it only takes a few minutes to store your WhatsApp information in the cloud and it doesn’t cost a cent.
WhatsApp automatically creates a local backup every night if you’re connected to WiFi, have enough storage and battery life. In this case when your smartphone is lost or gets damaged, A cloud backup helps to keep your files protected.
To do this, there is a built-in feature in the app that backs up all your messages and media to the cloud via Google Drive. You can set this feature to run automatically by scheduling it to “Every Day”, “Every Week”, or “Every Month”. You can also back up manually whenever necessary. To do this automatically, follow these steps;
- Click the three dots located at the top right, then select Settings in the drop down list.
- Select “Chats”, next “Chat Backup” at the bottom of the scroll.
- After that, you configure your WhatsApp backup settings.
You will find, at the top of the screen, the most recent WhatsApp backups, and the option to backup files immediately. Backing up files, especially media, can consume a lot of mobile data, so if possible, do it over Wi-Fi.
Below you can choose which Google accounts to back up, how often to back up, etc. It is not recommended to back up your videos as it quickly takes up your Google Drive storage limit.
Note that, for now, you can only back up WhatsApp files via Google Drive. If you don’t have Google Play services on your phone (like newer Huawei phones), you may not be able to back up WhatsApp using the methods above. Plus, WhatsApp backups aren’t end-to-end encryption like messages, and Google Drive automatically deletes them after a year of inactivity.
How Do You Restore WhatsApp Backups?
Did you just install WhatsApp on your new phone? Well, to restore all those backed up messages and media you need to be sure you’re signed into the same Google account you used during backup. That’s the first step. The following steps will help you complete the process;
- Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number like you normally would.
- While setting up, WhatsApp would prompt you to restore backup messages, if any. Click “Restore”.
- Click “Next” and wait for the process to complete.
That’s it! WhatsApp will restore all of your chats, then move on to media, which is usually a longer process.
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