WhatsApp chats backed up to Google Drive lose encryption
If you're using this feature, it's something to keep in mind.
Starting November 12th, WhatsApp users on Android will be able to back up their chats and messages to Google Drive without it counting against their storage quota. There's a catch, however. WhatsApp warns that if you back up your chats, media and messages to the external service, they will no longer be protected by WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption. If you're already using the backup feature, this applies to your currently uploaded backups.
Backing up your messages and chats to a service like Google Drive makes sense; after all, they can start to take up a lot of space. What's more, it ensures that if you lose your Android device or upgrade to a new one, you still have access to all your WhatsApp messages. But if you rely on WhatsApp's end-to-end user encryption, you may want to think twice before taking advantage of this feature.
If you're unsure of how to set up Google Drive backups, then WhatsApp can help. The company has a step-by-step guide to setting up, restoring, configuring and deleting your Google Drive backup file. Additionally Whatsapp offers troubleshooting steps in case something isn't working like it's supposed to.
