WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It offers end-to-end encryption for messages, calls, photos, videos and other media sent through the app. WhatsApp also provides the option to back up your chats to Google Drive or iCloud. Backups allow you to restore your chat history if you lose your phone or switch to a new device.
While backups are useful, you may want to turn them off for privacy reasons or to save storage space. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to turn off WhatsApp backups on both Android and iOS devices.
Why You May Want to Turn Off WhatsApp Backup
Here are some common reasons for turning off WhatsApp backup:
- To save storage space on your phone or cloud account
- For privacy reasons if you don’t want your chats stored externally
- If you are switching phones and don’t need to transfer chat history
- Before donating, selling or trading in your old phone
- Temporary turn off if you don’t have internet connectivity for backups
How to Turn Off WhatsApp Backup on Android
Follow these steps to turn off WhatsApp backups on Android:
- Open WhatsApp and tap the three dots in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Tap on “Backup to Google Drive” and select “Never.”
This will completely disable Google Drive backups for WhatsApp on your Android phone. Your chat history will no longer be backed up.
Turning Off Auto Backup
If you want to keep backups enabled but disable auto backups:
- Go to Chat backup in WhatsApp Settings.
- Tap on “Auto backup” and choose “Off.”
This will prevent WhatsApp from automatically backing up your chats every day. You can still manually trigger a backup when needed.
How to Turn Off iCloud Backup on iPhone
To disable WhatsApp backups to iCloud on an iPhone:
- Go to your iPhone Settings app.
- Tap on your name at the top.
- Select iCloud.
- Scroll down and tap on Manage Storage.
- Select Backups.
- Find the WhatsApp backup and toggle off the switch.
This will completely stop WhatsApp chat backups to iCloud. Your chat history will no longer be stored.
Preventing Auto Backups
To keep backups on but prevent auto backups:
- Open WhatsApp Settings.
- Go to Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap Auto Backup and select Off.
This will stop the daily auto backups but allow you to manually back up WhatsApp when needed.
What Happens When You Turn Off Backups?
When you turn off WhatsApp backups, here’s what happens:
- Your existing chat history will no longer be backed up.
- If you delete WhatsApp, your chats will be permanently deleted.
- If you lose, break or switch phones, your chat history cannot be restored.
- Media like photos and videos will only exist on your phone’s storage.
- You can still manually back up your chats by enabling backups temporarily.
So be certain you really want to disable backups before turning them off. You have no way to recover chat history without a backup.
Other WhatsApp Backup Settings
Aside from fully enabling or disabling backups, WhatsApp offers these additional backup settings:
Exclude Media from Backups
Large media files like photos and videos can make your backups huge. You can choose to exclude media from backups while keeping chats:
- Android: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Include videos in backup (toggle off)
- iPhone: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Include Videos (toggle off)
Back Up Over Cellular Data
By default, WhatsApp only backs up over WiFi and not cellular data. If needed, you can allow backups over cellular data:
- Android: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Backup over mobile data (toggle on)
- iPhone: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Backup over Cellular (toggle on)
Back Up Frequency
You can change how often WhatsApp automatically backs up your chats:
- Android: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Backup frequency (choose timeframe)
- iPhone: WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Auto Backup (choose timeframe)
How to Restore Chats from a Backup
If you ever need to restore your chat history from a WhatsApp backup, here is what to do:
Restore from Google Drive on Android
- Reinstall WhatsApp.
- Verify your phone number.
- On the Restore Chat History page, tap Restore.
- Select the Google Drive backup you want to restore.
Restore from iCloud on iPhone
- Delete and reinstall WhatsApp.
- Open WhatsApp and verify your phone number.
- Tap Restore when prompted.
- Select the iCloud backup to restore from.
That’s it! Your chats and media will all be restored from the chosen backup.
Can I Selectively Restore Chats?
Unfortunately, you cannot selectively restore specific chats from a WhatsApp backup. Restoring will recover your entire chat history from the backup date.
Some third-party apps claim to offer selective chat restore, but often fail to work properly due to WhatsApp’s encrypted backup format. Your best option is to restore your full backup.
Conclusion
Backups are an important part of safeguarding your chat history on WhatsApp. But if you need to disable backups for any reason, it’s easy to turn them off in the app settings for both Android and iPhone.
Simply toggle off backup options or choose to “Never” back up. Just be prepared to lose your chats if you delete the app or switch devices. You can still manually trigger backups as needed before making major changes to your phone.
With the massive adoption of WhatsApp worldwide, understanding its backup options can help you protect or purge your chat history. Use this guide to control WhatsApp backups and find the right settings for your specific needs.