New Delhi: It is reportedly developing a brand new feature for iPhone, which could give users a new method to back up their chats. Perhaps, users will be able to store their WhatsApp backups directly on Apple’s encrypted cloud storage in addition to relying on the iCloud service of the company. The feature was recently noticed in the new WhatsApp iOS beta. It is still a work in progress and hasn’t been put to a public test yet, but it will be more flexible in what locations users choose to store their chat backups, according to reports.
The reports said that iCloud will still be the automatic backup solution. Users will get to choose, however, to use WhatsApp’s own cloud storage at any time. That may be preferable for those who have run out of free iCloud space, which caps at 5GB and is utilized by photos, apps, files, device backups, and anything else.
Security is one of the major takeaways that you are looking for with the imminent arrival of this feature. By default, all backups stored on WhatsApp’s cloud will be encrypted end-to-end, meaning they are guaranteed to be properly secured. In addition, users can also choose that their backups are encrypted with a passkey, a password, or a 64-digit encryption key for a higher security level. This means that only the user will be able to access the backed-up chats.
What is also being reported is that WhatsApp may well provide approximately 2GB of free cloud storage for backups. Of course, the company could offer paid storage plans in the future, as its users will likely require more space at some point, although no pricing details have been confirmed yet. There’s a similar backup service already identified for Android, which will be unleashed as a rival to Google Drive. This comes following WhatsApp’s and other competing messaging apps like FaceTime introducing the backup functionality on iPhone, which means the company is trying to give users a similar backup experience on both Android and iOS.
It seems the feature is still in testing for developer internal use, and no official announcement about the date of launching the feature. It would make it easier, more secure, and less dependent on third-party cloud storage, however, if it is rolled out in the coming months.
