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WhatsApp daily backup not running on Android? How to check it and fix it

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On October 16, a WhatsApp user posted on X that their backup frequency was set to Daily, yet the backup only ran when they started it by hand, and updating the app hadn't changed anything. It's a common complaint. A thread on r/Vivo from May 2026 describes the same thing on a Vivo X300: manual backups to Google Drive work, the daily one never starts, and people kept replying "same here" into August.

If that sounds like your phone, here's how to check what's going on and what to try, in an order that won't put your existing backup at risk. This guide is for Android phones that back up to a Google Account.

First, protect what you have

WhatsApp's Help Center is clear on one point: your Google Account keeps only one WhatsApp backup per phone number, and each new backup replaces the old one. There's no way to go back to an older copy.

So if any chats are already missing from your phone, stop. Don't delete the backup, create a new one, or reset the phone, because the backup you have may be the only copy of those chats. Follow WhatsApp's restore instructions instead. If everything is still on your phone, you can troubleshoot safely.

Check when the last backup ran

In WhatsApp, tap the three-dot menu, then Settings > Chats > Chat backup. This screen shows when the last backup happened, how big it is, which Google Account it goes to, and the backup frequency. If the date is several days old and the frequency says Daily, the automatic backup isn't running.

To check from Google's side, WhatsApp says you can open the Google One app, sign in, and go to Storage > Other. If your chats are backed up, they're listed there.

How the daily backup is supposed to work

It happens in two steps. WhatsApp first makes a local backup file on the phone. Then, if the frequency is Daily, it saves a copy to your Google Account "every night after the local backup is made," in WhatsApp's words. WhatsApp's older FAQ, quoted on Android Stack Exchange, put the local backup at 2:00 AM.

That timing is the likely reason it fails while manual backups work. In the middle of the night your phone is idle, and Android's battery management restricts apps running in the background. If WhatsApp or Google Drive gets held back, the nightly backup doesn't run, and you find out days later. A manual backup runs with WhatsApp open on screen, so it doesn't hit the same limits.

Fixes to try, safest first

  1. Update WhatsApp and Google Play services. WhatsApp's troubleshooting page specifically mentions checking Google Play services: open your phone's Settings > Apps > Google Play Services and see if it needs an update.

  2. Let WhatsApp and Google Drive run in the background. In your phone's battery settings, set both apps to Unrestricted, or turn off battery optimization for them. The wording differs between Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and others. On r/whatsapp, a Galaxy S22 Ultra owner said this is what got a stuck "Preparing Google Drive backup" moving, and a Galaxy S24 owner said turning off power saving and battery protection fixed theirs. It doesn't work for everyone. The Vivo poster had already allowed background use, autostart and locked WhatsApp in recent apps, and the daily backup still didn't start.

  3. Leave the phone charging on Wi-Fi overnight. WhatsApp lists a charged or plugged-in battery and a steady connection among its fixes, and warns that switching between Wi-Fi networks can make a backup time out. If you're usually off Wi-Fi at night, the Back up using cellular option on the Chat backup screen lets it use mobile data.

  4. Check storage on both ends. WhatsApp needs free space on the phone to build the backup and free space in your Google Account to upload it. "Backup failed: You need more storage" means you've hit a limit. Turning off Include videos makes the backup smaller, though videos then won't come back if you restore.

  5. Reconnect your Google Account. These are WhatsApp's own steps. Make sure WhatsApp's Photos and videos permission is set to Allow. Go to your phone's Settings > Accounts > Manage accounts, pick your Google Account, tap Sync account > Menu > Sync now, and let it finish. Then go back and tap Remove account. Open WhatsApp and add the account again under Settings > Chats > Chat backup > Google Account. Removing the account signs it out of the whole phone, so have your Google password ready first.

  6. If it's stuck on "Preparing" for hours. In a July 2026 r/whatsapp thread about Google Drive backups freezing (the poster suspected a Samsung One UI update), one commenter got it working by cancelling the backup, turning off end-to-end encryption, and starting it again. Another deleted the old WhatsApp backup from Google Drive, after which a fresh backup started, but it took most of a day to reach 95%. Both carry risk. Without encryption, your backup loses that extra protection, and after deleting the Drive copy you have no cloud backup until the new one finishes. Only try these if every chat you care about is still on your phone, and turn encryption back on once things work.

WhatsApp cloud storage

WhatsApp's help page now mentions its own cloud storage for backups, end-to-end encrypted and separate from Google, with 2 GB free and more through WhatsApp Plus (100 GB) or Meta One plans. WhatsApp says the feature is still being built and tested and may not be available to you yet. If it appears in your Chat backup settings, it's one way to stop depending on Google Drive.

If the daily backup still won't run

Back up by hand. Open Settings > Chats > Chat backup and tap Back up once a week, and always before you update your phone's software or switch phones. WhatsApp recommends a manual backup before changing devices anyway, so you restore the most recent copy of your chats.

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