WhatsApp is working on a backup alternative to iCloud

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Chat backups will no longer necessarily be stored in iCloud: WhatsApp is apparently developing its own cloud storage with two gigabytes of free storage and paid tiers above that. The real difference, however, lies not in the price, but in the encryption.

References to a feature not yet available on iPhones have surfaced in the code of the WhatsApp beta for iOS, version 26.28.10.16: a user-selectable storage location for chat backups. Instead of exclusively storing backups in iCloud, users will soon be able to choose where their chats are saved directly in the backup settings. This approach isn't new – WhatsApp has repeatedly strengthened backup security over the years, most recently with the option to protect encrypted backups with a passkey. What would be new is that the chats wouldn't even have to be sent to Apple in the first place.

Two gigabytes free, 50 gigabytes for around one dollar

According to current information, WhatsApp will offer two gigabytes of storage on its own servers for free. A 50-gigabyte tier will follow for the equivalent of approximately $0.99 per month, and a terabyte option is reportedly in development. A price in euros and a launch date are not yet known. The tiers and prices could still change before release. The feature is currently unavailable even to beta testers (via WABetaInfo).

iCloud will remain the default setting. Users who don't change anything will continue to back up their chats with Apple. The same feature was already apparent on Android in April, there as an alternative to Google Drive.

Encrypted without ifs or buts

The most interesting aspect isn't storage space, but security. Backups on WhatsApp servers will be end-to-end encrypted without exception – with no option to disable this. That's precisely the difference from the status quo.

By default, iCloud backups are not end-to-end encrypted. Apple holds a key and can release the data upon a court order. This vulnerability is only closed by iCloud's enhanced privacy settings, which users must manually activate. Since 2021, WhatsApp has also offered the option to encrypt iCloud backups using a password, a 64-character key, or, more recently, a passkey. This feature is also disabled by default.

Both layers of protection already exist; both need to be known and actively enabled. A backup that forces encryption by default would relieve the user of this responsibility. Regardless of one's opinion of Meta, this is the most security-relevant point in the whole matter.

Apple's 5-gigabyte bottleneck

For German-speaking countries, the situation is more concrete than for the US market because WhatsApp is the standard messenger here, not the exception. Chat backups containing years' worth of photos, voice messages, and videos quickly grow to several gigabytes – and they count against the iCloud storage quota.

Apple provides five gigabytes of free storage to every Apple account. This limit is often exceeded on an iPhone with a history of WhatsApp data, simply by backing up, practically forcing users to subscribe to iCloud+: 50 gigabytes cost €0.99 per month, 200 gigabytes €2.99. Storing chats on WhatsApp servers significantly reduces the amount of storage needed for iCloud – for smaller backups, the combined free storage of both providers might even be sufficient.

One more subscription, one more custodian

The downside is obvious. Anyone exceeding the two free gigabytes will now pay Meta instead of Apple – and Meta has recently made it clear with paid subscription tiers for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp that the company intends to monetize its apps more directly. Its own cloud storage fits into this pattern.

Then there's the question of trust. The technical assurance that backups on WhatsApp servers are end-to-end encrypted is strong – but it shifts the data to a corporation whose business model relies on analyzing user data. Anyone who doesn't trust this assurance won't feel any better about meta-servers than they would with Apple. Those who take it seriously get more technical protection than with an iCloud backup without enhanced data protection. You have to make this decision yourself – there's no objectively right answer.

The timing is strikingly

What's remarkable is the timing of this. In Italy, the competition authority is investigating whether iCloud is being given preferential treatment over competing cloud services. The fact that Europe's most-used app is routing its backups around iCloud is further evidence that Apple's special position regarding device storage is coming under pressure – both from competition law and from the market itself.

For Apple, the loss isn't dramatic, but it's not without consequences either: A significant portion of iCloud+ subscriptions likely exist simply because the free five gigabytes aren't enough for a complete iPhone backup. If WhatsApp is removed from that, some users will have less incentive to pay at all.

There's still a long way to go from beta to backup

So far, the only confirmed fact is that the code exists. WhatsApp hasn't commented on the timeline, pricing, or availability; the feature isn't yet running in beta testing, and features from beta versions don't necessarily make it into the final app. If the built-in cloud storage does indeed arrive, it would be the first truly viable option for WhatsApp backups on iPhones since the feature's introduction.

For informed users, this changes little in terms of the level of protection. An iCloud backup with enhanced privacy enabled is end-to-end encrypted, and Apple no longer holds the key there either – anyone who knows the setting and enables it is already protected. The only difference would be in the default setting: What currently has to be actively enabled on Apple and WhatsApp would be set by default on WhatsApp servers. For those who have never dealt with such menus, that's the real benefit. (Image: Shutterstock / Primakov)