WhatsApp Is Building Its Own Cloud Backup for iPhone - With Encryption iCloud Does Not Force On You
iCloud stays the default. But WhatsApp's own servers will encrypt your backup whether you think about it or not.
WhatsApp is developing a first-party cloud backup provider for iPhone, giving users an alternative to iCloud for the first time. WABetaInfo spotted the feature in WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.28.10.16, available through TestFlight. WhatsApp has not announced a launch date - the feature is still in development and not yet available for beta testers to use.
iCloud will stay the default. Users who want to switch can choose WhatsApp's own servers directly from the chat backup settings. WhatsApp will offer 2 GB of free storage to start. Paid tiers are also in development: a 50 GB plan priced at around $0.99 per month - matching Apple's entry-level iCloud+ price - and a 1 TB plan for users with large backups. Both tiers and prices are preliminary and could change before launch.
Encryption Is Mandatory on WhatsApp's Servers - and That Is the Real Difference
End-to-end encryption for WhatsApp backups stored on iCloud is optional. Users must enable Apple's Advanced Data Protection manually to get it, and most never do. On WhatsApp's own servers, encryption works the other way: always on, cannot be disabled. Switching back to iCloud is the only exit. WhatsApp recommends a passkey as the primary encryption method - a credential stored in the device's password manager. Users who prefer not to use a passkey can encrypt with a regular password or a 64-digit key. Either way, only the user can access the backup - not WhatsApp, not Meta.
For a company that built its business on end-to-end encrypted messaging, making backup encryption equally non-negotiable is the one design choice here that actually matches the product's stated values. WhatsApp's recent push to let users replace their phone number with a username fits the same pattern: Meta adding privacy controls to WhatsApp that do not exist elsewhere in its app portfolio.
WhatsApp Backups Already Compete With Everything Else for iPhone Storage
Apple gives every iPhone user 5 GB of free iCloud storage - shared across photos, documents, device backups, and app data. WhatsApp backups grow large for users who share media regularly, and they compete directly with everything else for that 5 GB limit. Users who hit the ceiling either pay Apple for more storage or manually trim what gets backed up. A dedicated WhatsApp backup slot on WhatsApp's own servers removes that competition entirely.
WhatsApp has been expanding its iPhone-specific features steadily - a recent beta added an online status indicator showing when contacts are active. A separate backup provider fits the same direction: WhatsApp building its own infrastructure rather than depending on Apple's. What happens to the existing iCloud backup after a user switches remains unclear - WhatsApp has not confirmed whether the old backup disappears automatically or requires manual deletion.
WhatsApp is building the same backup provider for Android as well - that feature surfaced in April, offering an alternative to Google Drive. Cross-platform restores may eventually become possible once WhatsApp controls the backup infrastructure on both sides, though the company has not confirmed whether that is part of the plan.
