How to block media from whatsapp group
How to stop WhatsApp to automatically save down images and videos into your camera roll
WhatsApp is a free messaging application, owned by Facebook, that allows users to send text messages, voice and video calls, images, other media files and user location.
It is particularly well-known app, having over a billion users, and for many has become the preferred contact app of choice – some 60 billion messages are sent over the WhatsApp platform every day. Its popularity is partly due to the fact that it’s an encrypted service, meaning only you and the person you’re communicating with can read the messages you send to each other. It is therefore seen as one of the most secure and private ways to communicate.
However, although users can send as many media rich messages as they want, with no costs, even internationally, (unlike with SMS) one of its quirks is that when you download the app it automatically downloads and stores every media file received.
For those of us that already struggle with phone storage space this can be quite frustrating, especially when you look down at your phone and realize there have been 105 new messages, 75 of which are pictures, from that one group chat…
But switching off the toggle that controls automatic media downloads from WhatsApp is relatively easy on both an Android and Apple phones.
Below we have outlined the way to stop WhatsApp automatically downloading ALL media files.
To prevent all media files downloading on an iPhone:
- Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone.
- Tap the Settings icon (small cog) at the bottom right of the screen.
- Tap Chat Settings.
- Swipe the toggle off the Save Incoming Media option so that it is no longer green.
If committing to this seems too much, it is also possible to switch off media downloads from one chat at a time, giving you more flexibility if you do want some images/videos to be saved.
To prevent media files from one chat for an iPhone:
- Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone.
- Click on the chat you’d like to stop downloading media files from.
- Click on the name of person or group from this chat.
- Scroll to the option Save to Camera Roll.
- Click ‘Never’.
This process will need to be repeated for each contact or group where you want to switch the automatic downloads off.
To prevent all media files downloading on an Android:
Preventing WhatsApp automatically downloading ALL media files is slightly different on an Android as it relies on settings involving Wi-Fi and Data, rather than a specific button in the app.
- Begin by opening WhatsApp and go to the window where chats are shown.
- Select Settings, the three vertical dots on the top right-hand side.
- Click on Data and storage usage.
- Head to Media Auto-Download, where you will encounter three options: When Using Cellular Data, When Connected on Wi-Fi and When Roaming.
- Disable auto-downloads by unchecking all three options, Images, Audio and Video.
To prevent media files from one chat for Android:
- Open a chat
- Tap the three dots in the top right-hand corner
- Tap “View contact”
- At the bottom there should be a section called “Media visibility”
- Choose ‘No’.
We hope you found this guide useful. If you have problems when trying to stop WhatsApp from automatically downloading and saving media files into your camera roll, feel free to drop a comment below
How to Stop Auto Download in WhatsApp [iPhone & Android]
by Jenefey Aaron Updated on 2022-06-23 / Update for WhatsApp Tips
Many WhatsApp users know that when they receive media messages, WhatsApp will automatically downloads the media (photos, audios, videos or documents) sent to their device and stores it in their phone's gallery or files. Though WhatsApp auto-download is a convenient feature, it sometimes can be annoying when there is limited storage available on your phone.
To avoid phone gallery being cluttered with massive WhatsApp media files, you must wondering how to stop auto download in WhatsApp. This guide will teach you how to turn off auto-download in WhatsApp, so that your phone storage won't be filled up quickly.
- Part 1: How to Stop Anto Download in WhatsApp on iPhone
- Part 2: How to Stop Anto Download in WhatsApp on Android
- Part 3: How to Stop Auto Download in Whatsapp in Windows 10
- Extra Tip: How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages on Android
Part 1: How to Stop Anto Download in WhatsApp on iPhone
For WhatsApp users on iPhone who want to know how to stop auto download in WhatsApp, simply follow the steps below to disable WhatsApp auto download.
1.1 Turn off Media Auto Download in WhatsApp on iPhone
WhatsApp on iPhone allows you to select how media is downloaded to your device on different networks or to set it not to auto downlaod media. Here's how to turn off media auto download in WhatsApp on iPhone.
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
- Go to Settings > Storage and Data.
Under the label "Media Auto-Download", set each option – Photos, Audio, Video, and Documents to "Never".
Now, none of the media will be downloaded automatically on your iPhone.
If you want to stop WhatsApp from saving photos only, here is an alternative way: Go to Settings > Chats and turn off the switch for Save to Camera Roll. By doing so, you will stop WhatsApp from automatically saving received photos and videos to your iPhone's Camera Roll.
1.2 Stop Auto Download in WhatsApp Group on iPhone
If you'd like to stop auto-download in one single WhatsApp group, you can do that too. When you disable auto-downlaod in the group, media received from this goup won't be downloaded to your phone's storage, but it will still be visible on WhatsApp.
That said, here's how to stop auto download in WhatsApp group.
- Open WhatsApp and tap the group you'd like to stop auto-download of photos and videos.
- Tap the title of the group.
Tap "Save to Camera Roll" and set it to "Never".
Once done, you won't find any media files received from the group on your phone gallery anymore.
Part 2: How to Stop Anto Download in WhatsApp on Android
Due to different navigation system, the method to stop auto download in WhatsApp on Android is slightly different from that on iPhone, and we're going to walk you through how to turn off auto-download in WhatsApp Android.
2.1 Disable Auto Save Media WhatsApp Android
Just like how you turn off auto-download on iPhones, you can turn off media auto-download on Android too via Settings. Here's how to disable auto save media whatsapp Android.
- Open WhatsApp on your Android phone.
- Tap the 3 dots on the top-right corner, select Settings and then open Storage and data.
- Under "Media auto-download" section, tap on each option and uncheck all the media types from the pop-up menu.
Tap OK to save the change.
If you wonder if there is a quick way to stop WhatsApp from saving photos on Android, the good news is there is. Go to Settings > Chats and turn off the toggle for Media Visibility. Now, the downloaded media won't be shown in the gallery.
2.2 Disable Auto Download in WhatsApp Group Android
Similar to how we did on iPhone, you can turn off auto-download for each specific group, which would stop the media from showing up in your gallery.
Here's how to disable auto download in WhatsApp group Android via the from the WhatsApp Group info menu.
- Open WhatsApp and open a group you'd like to stop auto-download for.
- Tap on the 3 dots on the top-right corner in the group and select Group info.
- Find and tap on Media visibility.
- Change the auto download settings from Default (Yes) to No.
Tap on "OK" and that's it.
Now all the media files from this group will not be automatically downloaded and saved in your Android phone.
Part 3: How to Stop Auto Download in Whatsapp in Windows 10
If you're using WhatsApp on your computer and want to know how to stop auto download in WhatsApp Web, this section is for you.
Unlike mobile WhatsApp which offers you options to turn off auto-download, WhatsApp web doesn't come with such options since it doesn't download media to your device automatically anyway. Whenever you want to download something, you have to manually click the download button. So, you don't have to do anything to make this change.
Extra Tip: How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages on Android
If you have accidentally deleted your WhatsApp messages and media, you may be thinking whether there's a way to get them back without uninstalling WhatsApp. Luckily, there's a way, and it's called Tenorshare Ultdata for Android, a well-known WhatsApp data recovery tool for Android. With UltData for Android, you can recover your WhatsApp data, including messages, photos, and videos, in just a couple of minutes. What's more, it can help you download WhatsApp backup from Google Drive.
Without any further ado, let's see how to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Android.
- Download and install UltData for Android on your computer.
Once installed, run the program and click "Recover WhatsApp Data" from the presented options.
Connect your phone to the PC and enable USB Debugging on the phone.
When your phone gets detected, click "Start" to allow UltData for Android to scan for your deleted WhatsApp data.
Make sure you're logged in to your WhatsApp account, then click "Yes, I want to continue." To avoid data loss, it's recommended that you should backup your WhatsApp cahts first.
When UltData for Android finishes the scanning, you will all WhatsApp data including the deleted WhatsApp messages. Select the messages you want to recover and click on Start.
You'll be notified when the deleted WhatsApp messages are recovered successfully!
Conclusion
There you go. If you've been annoyed by WhatsApp automatically downloading stuff to your gallery, now you know how to stop auto download in WhatsApp. Plus, you've also learned about Tenorshare Ultdata for Android, the perfect tool for you if you have lost your precious WhatsApp messages or media.
38 features in WhatsApp that you didn't know about (Part 2)
A huge number of features of modern programs can confuse even the most advanced user of mobile devices. Many smartphone owners today devote much more time to correspondence than to voice calls. Therefore, we decided to tell you about the not always the most obvious features and features of one of the most popular instant messengers today. About whatsapp.
In the first part of the material, we have already analyzed some features of the mobile messenger, and today we continue talking about it. nine0003
Content
- 1 Hide profile picture
- 2 How to block a WhatsApp contact
- 3 Download images and videos
- 4 Change settings for automatically saving images/videos for certain chats
- 5 WhatsApp data usage report 6 specific message
- 7 Make words bold, italic or strikethrough
- 8 Send a voice message
- 9 Mark important chats
- 10 Pin chat
- 11 Mute chat
- 12 Archive chats
Hide profile picture
You may not want everyone to see your photo, especially if you are a member of multiple groups where you don't know all the members. Or maybe you just want to be incognito for a while. Either way, you can choose who can see your photo.
Go to the menu "Settings" - "Account" - "Privacy" - "Profile photo". nine0042
How to block a WhatsApp contact
There are many reasons why you might want to block a contact. If you block a contact, you will not be able to exchange messages and calls with him. To do this, go to the desired chat, click on the contact name at the top, scroll down the page and click "Block contact."
Downloading images and videos
Sharing photos and videos on WhatsApp is very convenient. And by default, all received photos and videos are saved on your device, which is not suitable for everyone. You can disable this feature and save only the data you really need to your smartphone. nine0003
"Settings" - "Chats" - "Turn off the display of multimedia in the gallery."
Change settings for automatic image/video saving for certain chats
This item follows from the previous one. You can change the automatic settings for saving media files from specific conversations.
Select the desired chat - click on the contact or topic at the top of the screen - "Save files" - then select the desired item.
WhatsApp Data Usage Report
If you would like to view the data collected by Facebook (which is the company that owns WhatsApp), you can download and view a report on this data.
"Settings" - "Account" - "Account Information" - in this submenu you can request a report.
Replying to a specific message
WhatsApp allows you to reply to a specific message in order to make it easier for a person (especially if you are chatting with a large number of users) to understand what is being said. nine0003
Select a specific chat, and then the desired message - make a long press on it - tap on the "Reply" item.
Make words bold, italic or strikethrough
Sometimes some words need more emphasis. For this, a completely standard technique is used, but many do not know about its existence. And you just need to add a couple of characters.
- For bold type, add an asterisk on both sides of the word or phrase. *Text*
- To underline text, add an underscore on both sides. _Text_
- For strikethrough, use a tilde at the beginning and at the end. ~Text~
Send a voice message
If you don't have time to write a long text, then send a voice message. Just click on the microphone symbol to the right of the message box. The voice message will be sent as soon as you remove your finger from the symbol.
Mark important chats
You must have been in this situation: you have read an important message in a chat, but you cannot reply at the moment. And the chat is already marked as read. What to do? Do not worry. There is an exit!
Long press chat - open menu - "Mark as unread".
Pin the chat
You can also pin the chat so that it is always on the top line. Keep in mind that you can pin up to three chats at most. nine0003
Long press chat > press the pin symbol
Mute chat
You can turn off notifications from certain conversations so that you don't have to worry about a bunch of messages.
Open the desired chat, enter the menu at the top of the screen - "Mute".
Archive Chats
The Archive Chat feature allows you to hide chats from your home screen. This does not delete conversations. You can archive groups or individual chats and they will disappear until you go to the Archived Chats tab
Long press on a chat - Press the archive folder in the upper right corner of the screen
38 WhatsApp features you didn't know about (Part 1) 3)
You can always find even more materials from the Android world in our official Telegram channel.
25 WhatsApp hacks you didn't know about
WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging app in the world and for this reason it is constantly updated, has a large list of features and supports a wide range of devices. Not surprisingly, it already has one billion users. Want to get the most out of this app? I know a few useful tricks that I want to share with you. nine0003
How to make text italic, bold or strikethrough in WhatsApp
I've been using this feature on WhatsApp for a long time, and I know that most people don't know about it.
If you want to make a word bold, simply put an asterisk (*) at the beginning and end of the word. For example, if you want to make the word bold bold, write * bold *. The same with italic , but instead of asterisks we put an underscore (_). To get strikethrough text you need to put a tilde sign (~) at the beginning and end of the required fragment. There is also the option to create monospaced text by adding three quotes to either side of the text.
Is this too difficult for you? Then just highlight the desired word or text, click "more" and choose to bold, italic, strikethrough or monospace. I want to warn you that this is not available on all devices, so it's better to use the first method.
How to quote a WhatsApp message
If the group is active and new messages are constantly coming in, quoting is the best way not to get confused about who replies to whom and to what.
To quote someone, you need to click on the message for a few seconds, and then select the arrow pointing to the left (this is the first arrow). Thus, the quoted message is attached, all that remains is to type the answer and send it.
How to turn off automatic downloads of photos and videos in WhatsApp
One of the most tricks with WhatsApp that you should definitely know will help you save your mobile internet data. nine0003
There are several ways to save WhatsApp internet traffic while still receiving notifications and messages. First, disable the app's ability to download media over the mobile network. This can be done in the settings for this, click on three dots in the upper right corner, then " Settings " - " Data and storage " - " Autoload media - Mobile network ".
More ways to save data: 5 best apps to save data on Android
In this section, you need to uncheck the media content that does not need to be downloaded using mobile Internet. After that, in order to view the sent photo or video in the chat, you just need to click on the file, and the download will begin. I especially recommend turning off videos, as they have a lot of weight and eat up traffic the most.
Whatsapp calls eat traffic? Turn on data saver
WhatsApp calls are very convenient, after launching them I gave up Skype. But they can use a lot of traffic, which is especially worth paying attention to users with a limited data plan. Fortunately, WhatsApp also has the ability to lower the bandwidth on calls, thereby saving traffic. To enable the data saving feature go to " *** " - " Settings " - " Data and storage " - " Call settings " and check the box next to " Data saving".
Send smaller photos to save data
Send smaller photos to save dataUploading images can drain your mobile data if you frequently share pictures. Luckily, you can adjust the image upload quality by visiting " Settings" > "Data and storage" > "Photo upload quality" . You can then select Automatic, Best Quality, or Data Saver.
We look at the statistics of the traffic used in WhatsApp
All Android phones released in the last five years have traffic usage statistics, Google has even released applications to save traffic. WhatsApp also has statistics on traffic consumption, the statistics are conveniently divided into categories. nine0003
To get into the WhatsApp traffic log, you need to go to " Settings " - " Data and storage " - " Data usage ". Here you can view all application statistics, such as how much Internet traffic was spent on calls, messages, the number of messages sent, etc. The biggest downside to this statistic is that there is no breakdown of traffic used by Wi-Fi and cellular.
How to see how much memory a chat has taken
If you go to " Settings " - " Data storage " - " Storage ", you will see impressive statistics.
In this section, you can see how much space a chat with a contact or a group takes. After you select a contact or group, you can view detailed statistics such as how much space is taken up by photos, videos, audio, documents, and the number of text messages. Here you can delete certain media content.
How to delete certain content from a chat
How to delete certain content from a chatYou can do more than look at the contacts that take up all the storage. You can erase these files from your phone if you wish. All you have to do is visit the storage management section again ( Settings > Data & Storage > Storage Management ).
Read more: 5 best apps to save data on Android
Then you need to click on the desired chat, select " Select all " and click on the trash can icon on the top right corner to clear all files in the specified chat. Alternatively, if you only want to delete a few files, you can press and hold on each file in the chat to select it, then press the trash can icon in the top right to delete the selected file/files.
This is not as convenient as the old way, which allowed you to erase files by category (videos or photos). But it's still a useful feature if your phone's memory is full. nine0003
Use WhatsApp on your tablet
How to install WhatsApp on your Android tabletWhatsApp finally allows you to use WhatsApp on your tablet and phone at the same time, although this feature is only available to beta users at the time of writing. However, it's still a great addition.
To get started, you need to install WhatsApp beta on your tablet. You will then need to launch WhatsApp for tablet and you will be presented with a QR code. Scan this code with WhatsApp on your phone to link the two devices just like WhatsApp Web. nine0003
Use WhatsApp with two phones
The ability to link an existing WhatsApp account to a tablet also opened up the possibility for users to unofficially link two phones together. This finally gives you full multi-device support like competing apps like Telegram.
Explanation: How to open your Whatsapp on another phone
In order to link two phones, you first need to make sure that you are running WhatsApp beta version 2.22.25.8 on both devices. Then you need to enable developer mode on the second phone and look for option smallest width . Make a note of the value displayed here (you'll need it later), and then change the value to 600 or higher. Basically, this turns the phone interface into a tablet user interface, so WhatsApp tricks you into thinking that the second phone is a tablet.
You can now follow our instructions in the Using WhatsApp on Tablet section above to link your existing account to a second phone. You can then return to " Settings »> System »> Developer Mode »> Minimum Width » and enter the original value that you should have kept. This should give you the phone interface once again.
Request your account information
WhatsApp allows you to request a ZIP file with your account information and settings. However, this does not include your posts, only the collection of your profile picture and whether you have agreed to this data policy, group names, etc. nine0003
If you decide to get such an archive, go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Request account information ", and then click "request report". It takes two to three days to receive a report. Also, the request will be canceled if you decide to delete or change your account number.
You cannot view this file in WhatsApp, you can try to open it with another program directly on your phone or transfer the file to your computer and open it there. nine0003
How to send chat history to e-mail
In WhatsApp, you can not only backup chats in the cloud, but also send all chat correspondence to e-mail.
If you need to send the conversation history to the mail, go to " Settings " - " Chats " - " Chat history " - " Send chat by email. mail ", after which the entire list of available chats will open.
Once you have selected the desired chat, WhatsApp will ask if you want to include media or send only text and emotes. After selection, a standard email application will open, with the chat log attached it will be in .txt format, all that remains is to enter the addressee and press the send button. nine0003
Enable 2-Step Verification
By default, when you change devices, WhatsApp asks for a phone number and a one-time password. But turning on two-step verification means attackers can access your account even if they have a SIM card.
To enable it, you need to go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Two-Step Verification ". Here you will need to create a 6-digit PIN, which will need to be entered when registering new devices. You can also add your e-mail here if you suddenly forget your PIN. nine0003
There is one drawback, it is that you can disable two-step verification from the source device without entering passwords and PIN codes. Very strange.
How to add a contact shortcut to your desktop
WhatsApp also lets you add contact shortcuts to your Android desktop - perfect for popular and favorite contacts.
To add a chat shortcut to your phone desktop, open a chat or group, and then press three dots in the upper right corner. From here, click " More " - " Add Icon to Screen". Then just click Confirm to confirm the decision.
How to turn off read receipts on WhatsApp
x, the infamous blue tick. For the uninitiated, it means that the message has been read. If you need to hide from your contacts and turn off the read receipt (blue tick), go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Privacy " and uncheck " Read reports ".
Remember that this works both ways, ie. your contacts can't see when you're reading their messages, and you can't see when they're reading yours.
See who read a message in a WhatsApp group
One of the WhatsApp hacks you probably didn't know about is the ability to see who read your message in a group. All you have to do to see the Reader List is hold down on your message to highlight it, then tap the three-dot menu and choose Info ". Here you will see the full list of people who read the message, and at what time it was read.
How to turn on the invisible mode in WhatsApp
WhatsApp has a feature that shows when you were last online, or rather, when you last opened WhatsApp.
If you decide to turn it off, go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Privacy ". Then click " Visited time " and choose who can see your last online visit time. There are three categories to choose from: “ All ", " My contacts " and " Nobody ".
You can change the visibility of your profile photo and contact details in the same way. They can also be viewable by everyone, only by your contact, or by no one at all.
How to view the list of blocked contacts
Feel free to block unwanted contacts on WhatsApp. View the full list of blocked contacts, go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Privacy ". Next, you need to scroll to the section " Messages " and click " Blocked: X ".
Here you can also add to the blocked list by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner. The "Contacts" page will open, where it remains only to select a contact to block.
Enable real-time location tracking
Sending your location to a WhatsApp chat is very simple, press the paperclip icon and click on the "Location" icon. But what if you want someone to see your real-time location, like a friend or parent? It turns out that WhatsApp has such a function, and it will be a real find, first of all, for parents. nine0003
You can activate the function by pressing the paperclip icon again. Now click " Location " - " Share location " and enter the time, from 15 minutes to 8 hours. If you change your mind about sharing your location, end tracking manually by clicking on the “ Stop sharing ” button.
How to put the original sound on a contact
A regular WhatsApp user has a lot of contacts in his address book, and if you get a lot of messages, it's not clear when the expected message arrived. Fortunately, there is one way to sort incoming messages by notification sound. nine0003
To create an individual notification, you need to enter the chat with the desired contact. Here, click on its name at the top of the window and select "Individual Notifications".
After you get to this section, check the box next to "Use". Here you can change the chat notification sound, call notification, vibration, indicator light, etc.
How to temporarily mute a chat or group
You probably have a group that constantly posts memes and viral videos. You can set up notifications, following the previous tip, or just turn off the group or contact. nine0003
To temporarily mute a chat or group, press and hold a contact's chat. Several icons will appear at the top of the screen. Tap the mute icon (crossed out speaker). Specify the mute period (eight hours, week, year) and choose whether to show notifications for new recordings.
Use WhatsApp on your computer
Whether you prefer a full-sized keyboard or simply love the convenience of a large screen, WhatsApp Web is one of the best features. nine0003
To get started, go to web.whatsapp.com from your computer. The site will display a QR code that can be read in the WhatsApp mobile app. On your phone, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner, then select Connected devices > Link device to launch the QR code reader. Now scan the QR code on the website with your phone's QR code reader and that's it.
How to transfer files from phone to computer (and vice versa)
WhatsApp Web may not be as flexible as you would like, but one of WhatsApp's coolest tricks is the ability to share information between your phone and PC.
If you have two WhatsApp accounts, you can send content from the second account to the one that is currently active on your PC. Have a friend who doesn't mind being the go-between? You can then simply send the files to WhatsApp Web and click on their account to view/download the file. The reverse is also true - you can send content from your computer (via WhatsApp Web) to another WhatsApp account or to a long-suffering friend. nine0003
Another handy alternative, noted by user Maksim Pichko, is to create a group with one of your contacts, delete that contact, and then you'll have a private hub to share information. It's not as cool or intuitive as Telegram's saved content functionality, but it's just the beginning.