Few months back, reports emerged indicating WhatsApp is prepping native cloud storage system for users to back up their chats. The new feature is expected to go live for both Android and iPhone users in the future. Now, a new report has revealed that first-party cloud backup is already under testing for iOS.
WhatsApp Encrypted Cloud Storage Backup for iOS Under Development
As per a new WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp is planning to release its own cloud backup solution for chats and media on the platform. The feature has made an appearance on WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.28.10.16 update, the TestFlight version and is currently under development.
From the above image, it is clear that in the near future, WhatsApp users will be able to choose between iCloud and Meta's own servers as their preferred cloud storage backup option. As per the image, the first-party option will offer 2 GB of storage at no extra cost.
Previous reports have also indicated that users will be able to unlock up to 50 GB of cloud storage by subscribing to the new WhatsApp Plus subscription tier. For context, Apple allows 5 GB of free cloud storage for photos, media, documents, app data, and device backups. With WhatsApp backups also included, the 5 GB plan might not be sufficient for most and users will end up paying Apple for more storage.
With WhatsApp backups segregated from iCloud backups, users will be able to cumulatively gain 7 GB of free cloud storage and also ensure smarter data backups and storage management. In case users decide to switch their cloud storage provider midway, the report claims that it will be possible as well.
Also, one of the key USPs of WhatsApp's native cloud storage system will be mandatory end-to-end encryption. Currently, for chats backed up via iCloud, encryption is optional (although enabled by default). However, with WhatsApp's first-party solution, users will need to enable Passkeys or use a 64-digit encryption key to access their backed-up chats and even switch back to iCloud.
WhatsApp's native encrypted cloud backup system is still under development, so there's no word yet on when it will become available to beta testers or stable users. The feature also hasn't been spotted on Android so far, but given Meta's cross-platform approach, it's likely only a matter of time before it arrives there as well. We'll keep an eye out for further developments, so stay tuned.
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