What happens when WhatsApp videos are not backed up?
When WhatsApp videos are not backed up either to iCloud or Google Drive, it can lead to permanent data loss if the videos get deleted or lost from the iPhone. Since WhatsApp does not store videos on its servers, the only copies exist on the user’s iPhone. So if the videos get accidentally deleted or lost due to a system crash, hardware failure, or accidental reset, the videos will be gone forever if no backup exists.
Why might WhatsApp videos not have been backed up?
There are several reasons why WhatsApp videos may not have been backed up from an iPhone:
- iCloud backup was turned off – WhatsApp relies on iCloud to backup videos. If iCloud backup is disabled, WhatsApp cannot backup videos.
- Insufficient iCloud storage – iCloud offers limited free storage. If this fills up, it will stop backing up WhatsApp until storage is freed up.
- Google Drive backup not enabled – WhatsApp can also backup to Google Drive, but this setting has to be enabled in WhatsApp’s settings.
- Third-party apps not given access – Apps like iMazing that can extract WhatsApp backups rely on access to iCloud data. If access was not provided, they cannot backup videos.
- Videos exceeded backup size limit – iOS limits iCloud backups to 2GB in size. If WhatsApp backups hit this limit, videos may remain unbacked up.
- Temporary backup disablement – Users can temporarily pause WhatsApp backups. If backups were paused for too long, some videos may not have been backed up.
Unless videos were backed up through one of the two backup methods WhatsApp provides, they remain exclusively on the iPhone with no other copies.
Can you recover unsaved WhatsApp videos on iPhone without backup?
If no backups exist, is it still possible to get back unsaved WhatsApp videos on an iPhone? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Without a backup, the videos are gone forever the moment they are deleted or lost from the iPhone storage. This is because WhatsApp has no way to retrieve them from its servers without a backup.
Some people believe using data recovery software can help recover unsaved WhatsApp videos without backup. However, this does not work if the videos have been overwritten or the phone was reset. Data recovery relies on remnants of deleted data still present on the phone’s storage. But if the storage was overwritten or wiped clean, data recovery cannot bring back the videos.
The only foolproof way to recover deleted WhatsApp videos on an iPhone is having a backup. So if no backups exist, sadly there is no way to get the videos back.
How to properly backup WhatsApp videos on iPhone
To avoid losing irreplaceable videos and photos again, it’s essential to make sure WhatsApp is properly backing up your iPhone’s data. Here are some tips to ensure videos are always backed up:
- Check iCloud backup is enabled – Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup and make sure it is turned on.
- Connect to WiFi for backup – iCloud backups will only run when the iPhone is connected to a WiFi network and is charging. So make sure to connect to WiFi regularly.
- Check backup includes WhatsApp – In iCloud Backup, tap on Manage Storage, then WhatsApp to confirm WhatsApp data is being backed up.
- Enable Google Drive backup – In WhatsApp, go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Backup to Google Drive. Then select a backup frequency.
- Free up iCloud storage space – Buy more iCloud storage if you consistently get storage full warnings that prevent WhatsApp backup.
- Temporarily pause backups – Avoid pausing iCloud or Google Drive backups for too long as it can leave new videos unbacked up.
- Use encrypted backups – Enable encryption for WhatsApp backups for added security and privacy of your videos.
Following these best practices diligently minimizes the risk of losing your precious WhatsApp videos due to the lack of backups.
Recover unsaved WhatsApp videos using iCloud backup
If you have an iCloud backup that contains the deleted or lost WhatsApp videos you want to recover, you can restore the videos from iCloud. Here are the steps to recover unsaved WhatsApp videos using an iCloud backup:
- Check your iCloud storage – Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups to confirm the backup containing your videos exists.
- Factory reset your iPhone – Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. This will wipe your iPhone and reset it to factory conditions.
- Set up your iPhone as new – When prompted during setup, select “Set Up as New iPhone” instead of restoring from a backup.
- Install WhatsApp – Once your iPhone is reset, download WhatsApp again from the App Store and set up your account.
- Restore iCloud backup – When prompted, select to restore from your latest iCloud backup containing the unsaved videos.
- Verify videos restore – Once restore completes, open WhatsApp and check your videos have been recovered from the backup.
By overwriting your iPhone data with an iCloud backup, you can retrieve unsaved media like WhatsApp videos. Just be 100% sure the backup contains the videos before resetting your iPhone.
Use iPhone data recovery software
In special cases where a backup containing the videos no longer exists, your last resort is iPhone data recovery software. Advanced tools like iSkysoft Phone Data Recovery can scour the iPhone storage for deleted or lost data.
Here are the key steps when using such data recovery apps:
- Install and launch the software – Download and install on a Windows or Mac computer connected to your iPhone.
- Select file types – Choose WhatsApp videos as the file type to scan for recovery.
- Pick a scan mode – You can pick a scan for deleted files or a deep scan for a thorough search.
- Preview recoverable videos – The software will display all videos still present on your iPhone storage available for recovery.
- Recover videos – Select the videos you want recovered and restore them to your computer or external storage.
However, this method depends heavily on the videos not being overwritten by new data. The more you used your iPhone after losing the videos, the lower the chances of recovery.
Prevent future loss of unsaved WhatsApp videos
Here are some final tips to avoid having to recover unsaved videos again in the future:
- Backup religiously – Never pause or cancel backups for too long to minimize gaps without backups.
- Limit stored media – Offload old videos you have backed up to cloud storage to avoid filling up your iPhone storage.
- Encrypt backups – Password protect your backups to ensure maximum security and privacy.
- Use multiple backups – Maintain both iCloud and Google Drive backups for redundancy.
- Export important videos – Manually save precious videos you want to keep permanently to a computer or cloud storage.
- Maintain backups – Check backups periodically and disable auto-delete features that may remove backups containing your videos.