(Mirror Daily, United States) – According to the new partnership, Android WhatsApp users get Google Drive integration, which comes with the benefit of having all your media content and messages backed up to the cloud.
It might be odd to hear Facebook and Google – two bitter archenemies – start collaborating, but that’s exactly the case with Facebook-owned WhatsApp for Google-owned Android.
Even though the latest version has already been rolled out to Google Play, it might take a while before the new backup feature reaches all 900 million users over the next few months. You’ll know when it reaches you because it will appear in your WhatsApp settings).
The partnership with Google Drive allows WhatsApp users to opt for a having their videos, pictures, voice messages and chat history backed up privately. According to Google’s own announcement, this is only a measure for the company to “keep your memories safe.”
Due to the encryption on Drive, the new backup feature will also allow WhatsApp users to regain access to their content on a different mobile device, not just their current Android phone.
And before you ask, yes, the service is not available for iOS users, but it makes sense for Google to sign this partnership. According to WhatsApp, a great majority of its usership uses Android devices. The strategy behind this offer is simple: get more Android developers to see what a good idea it is to have Google Drive integrated into their apps.
For Facebook, however, the move isn’t as straightforward. Since Facebook owns WhatsApp, why wouldn’t its users simply back up their data to Facebook’s cloud? Even though the company isn’t really a recent purchase, it might be a case where the parent company simply doesn’t want to cause commotion among the userbase.
Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, said it was “an easy choice” to partner with Google Drive, as it “offers the native Android experience we want for our users and the scale to grow with us.”
You can access from Facebook anything you’ve shared via Facebook Messenger, but the relationship between Facebook and WhatsApp is different. Upon acquirement, the Silicon Valley giant promised to keep the messaging service a standalone and separate app from its social network.
There are plenty of other reliable cloud storage services for Facebook to partner with, but considering the popularity of Android among WhatsApp users, Google Drive was the logical choice. According to Facebook, a similar feature in WhatsApp will allow iOS users to back up chats to iCloud.
Image Source: iPhone iOS Recovery
Ryan Harris
