How to back up WhatsApp chats and messages

If there’s one thing people are backing up more of these days, it’s WhatsApp chats and messages.

However, from 12 November this year if you’ve not updated those backups yourself, you might wind up losing them.

“Starting November 12, 2018, WhatsApp backups will no longer count towards the Google Drive storage quota. Furthermore, WhatsApp backups that haven’t been updated in more than one year will be automatically removed from Google Drive storage”, says the official website.

“To avoid the loss of any backups, we recommend you manually back up your WhatsApp data before November 12, 2018.”

“You can back up your chats and media to Google Drive, so if you change Android phones or get a new one, your chats and media are transferable.”

“We recommend connecting your phone to Wi-Fi prior to backing up your chats via Google Drive, as backup files can vary in size and consume mobile data, causing additional charges. ”

How to back up your WhatsApp chats and messages

Backing up WhatsApp messages is a no-brainer, especially with the frequency some people change or move mobile handsets.

Here’s how to go about it.

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Open Settings from the main menu, then Chats, and Chat backup.
3. Set the frequency to backup (weekly etc.)
4. Attach your Google account details (or add account if not already logged in)
5. Choose whether to run backups over WiFi or mobile data

And that’s it.