WhatsApp, the chat messaging app, has released a new version that allows Android users to back up photos, chat history, and video on Google Drive. Android users can go into Settings to see if this feature is available for them to use. However, the feature is not available yet, but will be available in the next few months.
With over 900 million people actively using the Facebook owned WhatsApp, the partnership between Google and WhatsApp comes at the right time. According to WhatsApp, “[…] nearly a billion people use WhatsApp [to share videos, messages, and pictures].” When 
people change devices or upgrade to a newer Android model, their chat history and media is lost, but with the option to save on Google Drive, users will be able to retrieve everything.Users can establish how many times they want WhatsApp to save content automatically, monthly, daily, or weekly, which they can do by going into settings. WhatsApp also gives users the option to exclude video when storing, as it may take a lot of their cloud storage. Google has assured to users that they will not be collecting and using their data to send personalized ads. In addition, the messages and media saved on Google Drive are not accessible to Google, as they are encrypted.
Android users will not have to live with the fear of their personal data and information leaking out on to the World Wide Web. In recent years, users have become reluctant of apps trying to steal their information or of hackers targeting the cloud storage to reveal private information. One notable example of the app Snapchat, which saw hackers post 98,000 pictures and videos of people who thought they had disappeared altogether once taken, as the app states.
The celebrity hacking scandal where hackers compromised their cloud storage is another example of a mass hacking. Google has assured people that they will not be using their private information and that their servers are secure. WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said, “[Google Drive] offers the native Android experience we want for our users and the scale to grow with us.” Google suggests users to keep an eye out for the new WhatsApp feature by checking settings to see if it is accessible to them on their Android device, as it is going to become gradually available. The reason why it will take several months to become available on all android devices is not clear. Users with any questions regarding this latest update can visit Google Drive’s Help Center.
For now, users can enjoy the latest design introduced by WhatsApp for Android smart phones. The new layout is the same, except with a new color scheme composed of a green title bar combined with three tabs for chats, calls, and contacts. While users wait for this option to become available to them, they can enjoy the layout.
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