WhatsApp 2.12.45 Adds The Option To Back Up And Restore From Google Drive

I know it seems that we have a new WhatsApp post every couple of days on Android Police lately, but it ain't our fault. The app's developers, specifically the Android team, appear to be drinking the good kind of kool-aid and kicking one new version after the other with not only bug fixes, but also lots of new goodies. So first there was the Web "client", then the saga of the voice calling featurerollout, followed by the Material design update, and now Google Drive is being implemented as a backup option inside the app.

It was only a few weeks ago that we received translation strings that hinted at WhatsApp's potential plan to enable backing up and restoring your conversation history and media to Google Drive. But the function just went live in the app's most recent version 2.12.45 which can be found on APK Mirror — the official WhatsApp Android download page still lists 2.12.44 at the time the article is being written.

Once you install the update, head into the app's Settings, Chat settings, Chat Backup, and you'll see a new screen that shows your last backup time and a list of greyed out Google Drive settings. Change the frequency from off to daily (or weekly or monthly), and you'll be able to pick up a Google account for the backup as well as choose whether you want it to use Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

You'll then have to wait for 4:00 am when WhatsApp usually does its daily backup for the magic to happen. If you're impatient, you can initiate it by tapping the top Back up now option, which first does a local backup then starts sending the data to Google Drive. However, you should be aware that there's no stopping the backup once it starts and the size is quite large if you have received and sent a lot of media through the app. Even though I had the app set to only use Wi-Fi, I tried turning Wi-Fi off, but the backup had already initiated and it kept chugging along using my data connection. I'm not sure if it's a bug only on my phone or if it's a widespread one, so proceed with caution.

For now, my personal backup hasn't finished uploading so I don't know what data is exactly sent during the process. Comparing the size of the backup to my local WhatsApp folders, I'm certain it doesn't just contain the conversation history and I'm pretty confident that all images are included but videos aren't (just like the translation strings hinted at). I'm also not sure if the data will be visible inside Google Drive or kept hidden and only accessible when the app initiates a restore. We'll update the post when we have more information.

More information

To answer some of our (and your) questions regarding the backups:

Backups are incremental, which means that WhatsApp will upload everything once, then only the changes daily/weekly/monthly.
Backed up data is hidden inside Google Drive. Open your Drive on the web, go to Settings, Manage Apps and you'll see WhatsApp listed as having hidden data.
Videos aren't backed up, only conversations and photos.
When you install WhatsApp again (on a new or the same phone), after you log in with your phone number, the app will check to see if there's a Google Drive backup (it will still check for local backups too) associated with your account and offer you one shot to restore your entire data from the cloud.

Comments

How Education Will Be Smarter, Less Intrusive, And Able To Respond To How You Feel

Impatience characterizes the technology sector’s approach to education. Disruption is taking place in all other sectors of society — so, why not education? I know too well, whether at Pearson or in the classroom, the challenges and frustration of developing and using digital tools that improve outcomes for students. But I’m optimistic. We are on the verge of a tide of smarter innovation that, if allowed to spread, will turbocharge the learning experience for students. Here are four areas worth watching: 1. Using technology to learn from learners Every great digital product constantly evolves by learning from its users, adding capabilities, and improving its performance. If it’s true for your Facebook feed, then why not education? The potential is there, as the OECD’s recent report on Students, Computers and Learning (OECD) incidentally showed how clickstream and tracking navigation in digital readers can be used to see how students process online text and...

Google Announces Android Wear Update With WiFi Support, Always-On Apps, And More

It has been a while since Android Wear got any substantial updates, but today Google is announcing a big one. A new version of Wear will be rolling out over the coming weeks that includes a number of previously rumored features (like WiFi support) and some all new stuff (like always-on apps). Most Wear devices use the always-on ambient mode for the watch face by default, the Moto 360 being a notable exception. The new Android Wear version allows apps to operate in ambient mode too, so they remain active when the watch goes to sleep. That makes it easier to take a quick glance at the app instead of waking the device up and opening the app all over again. The watch will still only go into full-color mode when necessary. WiFi support is also coming in the update, which means your watch can be useful even if your phone isn't connected. Watches with WiFi support will be able to connect to WiFi and still get messages and notifications from your phone, provided it has an interne...

The App Ecosystem’s New Status Quo

Americans spent more time using smartphone and tablet applications in 2014 than they did mobile and desktop web combined. With nearly four billion smartphones projected to be in use by 2020, the platform shift to mobile is well underway. The smartphone supply chain has already become a central and unifying aspect of the tech industry. For the first time, there exists a ubiquitous technology that connects us all to a central ecosystem, and apps form a huge part of this. The bar is constantly rising for mobile, and if we accept the “mobilization” of the future as a given, then what we are seeing is only just the very beginning. Paradigm shift in payment models Many people still view apps as unsophisticated software with simple, one-dimensional functionality. This perception, however, is going to change. With the widespread adoption of mobile devices and the continued improvement of the hardware layer, alongside the creation of a robust app economy, it has bec...

IT Where

#Responsive_Webdesign start from #7500, #hosting_Service Start from #3300 Per Year #get #your #special offers at Itwhere Pondy #Digital_Marketing , #SEO , #Product_Branding at Itwhere Pondy Email:info@itwheretech.co. in M:+91 9092734853 www.itwheretech.co.in

Exciting Technology

Search This Blog