WhatsApp is working on a feature that will offer users more granular control over what content they want to backup and exclude any specific file types they don’t want to store on their linked cloud account. So far, the only control users have when it comes to creating a cloud backup is choosing whether they want to include videos as well. The rest of the chat data, such as text chat history, images, files, audio clips, and certain settings are automatically backed up to their linked Google Drive or iCloud account.
Although limitations still exist when it comes to cross-platform WhatsApp data restoration, another issue that comes to the forefront is backup size. For users, especially those who exchange a lot of documents and images, creating a cloud backup can be a time-consuming affair and so is the restoration process. In addition, those on a limited mobile data plan may find it a bit more expensive to create a cloud backup of their entire WhatsApp chat log, even after excluding videos.
It appears that WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will allow users to select what files they want to save to their linked cloud account while creating a backup. In the latest beta build of WhatsApp (v2.21.21.7, now available via Google Play), WABetaInfo spotted the mention of a more fleshed-out backup page in the app’s Settings section where the user gets dedicated toggles for photos, audio, videos, documents, and other media shared in their chats. Previously, the only toggle that users had at their disposal was for the backing up of videos to the cloud that could later be restored on another device or after deleting the app. For reference, it doesn't seems like the changes are widely available to all beta testers running the latest v2.21.21.7 build on Android.
The biggest advantage of a more granular chat backup section is that users can control what files they want to back up to their linked cloud service. Cutting down on unnecessary files that aren't worth backing up will definitely speed up the process and consume less data, which is especially helpful for those who conduct business via WhatsApp and share product image catalogs frequently. However, the biggest advantage of a controlled data backup process on WhatsApp is the security aspect. Facebook says it can not access the data stored as a backup on a cloud service, even though recent activities might not instill much confidence.
Cloud services are not immune to hacks. For example, there was the infamous iCloud hack that led to sensitive images of multiple celebrities getting leaked online. Facebook recently promised that it will soon secure backups with end-to-end encryption and also extensively explained an upgraded security key feature, although those tools haven’t been released widely yet. It appears that the recent privacy-related legal setbacks have coerced Facebook into rolling out more robust security-centric tools for its platforms and that's a good thing for users.
Source: WABetaInfo, Facebook
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