What happens if I opt out of Signal Backup? I was just offered the new feature

Questions
1

I just got a notification that Signal back up is now available to me.
I understand there’s a free and paid option.

But how did Signal backups work before this launch? Were all messages automatically saved? Or was it always just the last 45 days?

Also, for those who choose the paid plan, is there an option to pay anonymously?

Because I don’t use the Google Play Store on my phone. My Android phone isn’t linked to any Google account.

2

There were no backups so they aren’t in the cloud. They’re stored locally unless you use the new backups.

4

What happens if I opt out of Signal Backup?

You don’t have to opt-out because the backup feature is opt-in!