WhatsApp data can be backed up to iCloud in two different ways, and it is important to understand the distinction between them.
1. WhatsApp Chat Backup
You can back up your WhatsApp chats and media directly through WhatsApp.
Path: WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Chat Backup → Back Up Now
This feature stores your WhatsApp chat backup in iCloud Drive. The backup is managed by WhatsApp and is separate from the regular iCloud device backup. You can configure automatic backups and choose whether to include videos.
This backup is not displayed as a separate backup under the usual iCloud device backup management screen. Therefore, you cannot use the iPhone's regular iCloud Backup settings to manage this WhatsApp chat backup in the same way you manage app data included in a device backup.
2. WhatsApp Data in iCloud Backup
WhatsApp can also be included in or excluded from your iPhone's regular iCloud device backup.
Path: iPhone Settings → Your Name → iCloud → Manage Account Storage/See All (wording may vary) → Backups → This iPhone → WhatsApp
Depending on your iOS version, the exact navigation and labels may differ. You can disable WhatsApp here to exclude its app data from future iCloud device backups.
Clarification regarding your statement
You stated:
"I disabled WhatsApp in iCloud Backup settings and deleted its separate iCloud backup."
The second part of this statement needs clarification. Where exactly did you delete the separate WhatsApp backup?
WhatsApp's Chat Backup is stored in iCloud Drive, whereas WhatsApp data included in an iPhone's regular iCloud Backup is managed through the device backup settings. These are two different mechanisms.
If you disabled WhatsApp under the iPhone's iCloud Backup settings, you excluded its app data from the regular device backup. However, this action does not, by itself, delete the separate WhatsApp Chat Backup stored in iCloud Drive.
If you also deleted the WhatsApp Chat Backup through WhatsApp's settings or another applicable iCloud storage management option, that would be a separate action.
What this means for your iCloud Backup size
If you disabled WhatsApp in your iPhone's iCloud Backup settings, its app data should no longer contribute to subsequent device backups, although the displayed backup size may not update immediately.
The separate WhatsApp Chat Backup stored in iCloud Drive may still exist, even if WhatsApp's contribution to the regular iCloud device backup is disabled.
Consequently, if WhatsApp originally accounted for 8.37 GB of a 10.46 GB iCloud device backup, and you subsequently disabled WhatsApp and successfully completed a new backup, you would generally expect the new device backup to be substantially smaller, assuming the other backed-up data has not changed significantly.
However, if the new backup still shows the old size after more than 48 hours, the next step is to establish exactly which backup or storage figure you are viewing. The size shown for WhatsApp in the list of apps included in the device backup is not necessarily the same as the size of its separate Chat Backup in iCloud Drive.
These distinctions are essential to identifying why the backup size has not changed as expected.
