WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of WhatsApp’s key features is the ability to back up your chats to Google Drive or iCloud. This allows you to restore your chat history if you ever switch phones or lose your device. However, a common question many WhatsApp users have is whether these backups include chats that have been deleted.
Do WhatsApp backups include deleted chats?
The short answer is no, WhatsApp backups do not include deleted chats. When you delete a chat in WhatsApp, it is permanently deleted from your device and will not be included in any future backups. Here’s a more detailed look at how WhatsApp backups work:
- WhatsApp backs up your chat history on a regular basis, either daily or weekly depending on your settings.
- The backup contains chat histories, media files sent and received, and other WhatsApp data.
- Backups do NOT include any chats that have been deleted by the user.
- When you delete a chat, it’s removed from WhatsApp immediately and will not be present in any subsequent backups.
So in summary, you can rest assured that any chats you deliberately delete in WhatsApp will not be preserved in Google Drive or iCloud backups. The backups only contain chat histories that are present on your device at the time of the backup.
When are deleted chats removed from WhatsApp backups?
Deleted chats are removed from WhatsApp backups during the next backup cycle. Here is an example to illustrate:
- On Monday you delete a chat in WhatsApp.
- Your backups are set to occur daily at 3am while your phone is charging.
- On Tuesday at 3am, your phone performs a backup that does NOT include the deleted chat from Monday.
- Any backups after Tuesday 3am will also NOT have the deleted chat.
So in this example, the deleted chat is permanently removed from the backup as of the first backup following the deletion. All subsequent backups will not have any trace of the deleted conversation.
Can you recover deleted WhatsApp chats from a backup?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to recover deleted WhatsApp chats from a backup. Since backups do not include any data from deleted chats, there is no way to retrieve this information.
Here are the key points to remember:
- When you delete a WhatsApp chat, it’s immediately erased from your device and any upcoming backups.
- Backups only contain chat histories that are currently on your device.
- Once a chat is deleted, it cannot be recovered from any existing or future backups.
The only exception is if you deleted a chat by accident and immediately backed up your device before WhatsApp had a chance to do its next scheduled backup. In that unlikely scenario, the deleted chat may still be present in the backup. But otherwise, consider deleted WhatsApp chats permanently gone from your backup.
How to verify deleted chats are excluded from backups
If you want to double check that your deleted WhatsApp chats no longer appear in backups, here are some steps you can follow:
- Delete a WhatsApp chat you want to remove from backups.
- Go to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and tap “Back Up Now” to force a manual backup.
- Once the backup completes, open your Google Drive or iCloud storage and find the WhatsApp chat backup folder.
- Extract the archive and examine the backup files inside.
- You should not see any text, media, or other data from the deleted chat.
This allows you to directly inspect your WhatsApp backup files and verify for peace of mind that your deleted chats are not being stored.
Can WhatsApp admins see deleted chats in group backups?
For WhatsApp groups, the answer is again no – group admins cannot see deleted chats in WhatsApp group backups. The same rules apply:
- When any participant deletes a chat in a WhatsApp group, it’s immediately erased and not backed up.
- Group admins do not have any special privileges to access or recover deleted chats.
- Even admins will only have access to group chat histories present at the time of backup.
So you do not have to worry about group admins retrieving old chats you have deleted in WhatsApp groups. Those conversations are permanently removed upon deletion, both from your device and backups.
Third-party WhatsApp backup solutions
There are some third-party apps and tools that claim to be able to back up and recover deleted WhatsApp chats. Examples include Dr.Fone and iMyFone Toolkit. However, it’s important to note that:
- These tools typically rely on extracting residual data from your phone’s memory rather than actual WhatsApp backups.
- Recovering chats via these tools is complex, often unsuccessful, and involves rooting or jailbreaking your device.
- WhatsApp does not support or authorize these third-party services.
In most cases, you’re better off considering any deleted WhatsApp chat permanently erased. While data recovery tools exist, they are unreliable and complicated to use. WhatsApp’sarchitecture is designed to fully erase chats upon deletion.
Key takeaways
To summarize the key points about deleted WhatsApp chats and backups:
- WhatsApp immediately and permanently erases deleted chats from your device.
- Your chat backup history does not include any deleted conversations.
- It’s not possible to retrieve deleted WhatsApp chats from Google Drive or iCloud backups.
- Third-party data recovery tools are not recommended for deleted WhatsApp chats.
- Once you delete a chat, consider it gone for good from your backups.
So feel free to tidy up old WhatsApp conversations and rest assured they will be completely removed from your device and backups. Your deleted chats won’t come back to haunt you!
Conclusion
WhatsApp provides a robust and convenient messaging experience for billions of users. The ability to back up chats provides added protection against lost or damaged devices. However, many users have concerns about whether these backups store chat histories forever – even deleted conversations they want removed for good.
Thankfully, WhatsApp’s architecture is designed with user privacy in mind. Deleted chats are immediately erased from your device and excluded from future backups. Neither Google Drive nor iCloud retain any trace of deleted WhatsApp conversations. While third-party data recovery tools exist, they are not recommended and WhatsApp does not authorize them.
So users can confidently delete old or unwanted chats, knowing they have full control over what conversation history is preserved. WhatsApp gives you the option to permanently remove chats both from your device and backups for a clean slate.