What happens if you delete the WhatsApp backup - briefly?
Deleting a WhatsApp backup will result in the loss of all messages, photos, videos, and other media shared through the app after the last backup was created. This action is irreversible, meaning that the deleted data cannot be restored.
What happens if you delete the WhatsApp backup - in detail?
Deleting a WhatsApp backup can have several implications, depending on whether it is stored locally or in cloud storage.
Firstly, let's consider local backups. If you have created a manual backup of your WhatsApp data and subsequently delete this backup file from your device or computer, the information contained within that backup will be permanently lost. This includes all messages, photos, videos, documents, and other media exchanged through WhatsApp up to the point when the backup was made. It is important to note that once deleted, there is no straightforward way to recover this data without a separate backup file or third-party recovery software, which may not always be reliable.
When it comes to cloud backups via Google Drive or iCloud, deleting these backups also results in the loss of your WhatsApp data stored within them. For instance, if you delete a WhatsApp backup from Google Drive or iCloud, all the messages, multimedia files, and other data associated with that backup will be removed from the cloud storage. However, this action does not affect the existing data on your phone; it remains intact until you manually delete it or reinstall WhatsApp. If you later decide to restore a backup from the cloud, only the data present at the time of the last backup will be retrieved, and any new data created after that point will be lost unless another backup has been made in the interim.
It is also worth mentioning that deleting a WhatsApp backup does not automatically free up storage space on your device or cloud account. You may need to manually clear up space by deleting unnecessary files and media or by optimizing your storage settings.
In summary, deleting a WhatsApp backup, whether local or cloud-based, leads to the permanent loss of data contained within that backup. It is crucial to ensure you have multiple backups or have saved important data elsewhere to prevent any significant information loss.