How to stop automatic download on whatsapp
How to stop WhatsApp from downloading photos automatically
This article was published on February 18, 2019
Image by: PexelStory by
Ivan Mehta
Story by
Ivan Mehta
Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That's one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say "Bleh." Ivan covers Big Tech, India, policy, AI, security, platforms, and apps for TNW. That's one heck of a mixed bag. He likes to say "Bleh."
Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and connected services.
It’s quite annoying when your phone’s running out of the storage, and the reason is usually the random photos and memes that your friends sent you on WhatsApp. By default, WhatsApp downloads photos to your phone automatically. We’ll show you how to stop this monstrosity.
On iOS
- Head to Settings>Data and Storage Usage
- Click on Photos
- Select Never option to stop downloading photos automatically.
You can repeat the process for any type of media like videos and audio.
On Android
- Head to Settings>Data and storage usage.
- Scroll down to Media auto-download.
- Choose When using mobile data.
- Uncheck Photos option from the dialog box.
- Repeat this for When connected on Wi-Fi and When Roaming options.
Get your tickets for TNW Valencia in March!
The heart of tech is coming to the heart of the Mediterranean
Join now
And that’s it! Now you can safely open WhatsApp without it highjacking your storage.
Check out all our Basics articles here.
Also tagged with
How to Stop Auto Download in WhatsApp on Android and iPhone
WhatsApp is a name that could never be unheard of.
You all know that it is a well-known messenger app owned by Facebook. The interesting thing about the app is that it provides users with instant messaging and voice or video call services free of cost, even internationally, all with only an internet connection. You can share anything in the app. It can be photos, videos, documents, files, contacts, and even your live location. But are you unaware of how to turn off the automatic download of media on WhatsApp? Then this article on how to stop auto-download in WhatsApp will help you. Continue reading to learn how to stop auto-download in WhatsApp.
Contents
- How to Stop Auto Download in WhatsApp on Android and iPhone
- Method 1: On Android Phone
- Method 2: On iPhone
- How to Stop Auto Download from Single Chat
The WhatsApp platform comes with an appealing technology option that automatically downloads media sources like photos, videos, or audio. Although this feature is charming, it can frustrate you to no extent when it places its hand on your storage.
When the automatic download option is enabled in the platform, all the media sources you receive get saved in your phone’s storage. This article will guide you on how to disable auto download media in WhatsApp for both iPhone and Android users.
This method completely restricts the download of all media files of all chats and groups. If you are serious about preventing every media file download from the platform, follow the steps given below on how to turn off the automatic download of media on WhatsApp.
1. Open the WhatsApp application on your Android phone.
2. Tap the three vertical dots present at the upper right corner.
3. Tap the Settings option.
4. Tap the Storage and data option on the Settings page.
5. Under the Media auto-download section, tap on the When using mobile data option.
6. Uncheck all the four options, Photos, Videos, Audio, and Documents, and tap OK to disable auto-downloads.
Note: You can customize the auto-download download option in this step. If necessary, you can only disable the media file option you don’t think is required. Tap and check the box, whichever you feel is needed to be downloaded automatically.
7. Repeat Step 5 and Step 6 to tap the other two options, When connected to Wi-Fi and When roaming, and uncheck its respective media components.
Also Read: How to Use Two WhatsApp in One Android Phone
Method 2: On iPhoneThe method to disable auto download on an iPhone is slightly different than your Android device. Implement the steps given below on how to disable auto download media in WhatsApp.
1. Open the WhatsApp application on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Settings icon present at the bottom right corner of the display screen.
3. Tap the Storage and Date option.
4. Under the MEDIA AUTO-DOWNLOAD section, tap the Photo option.
5. Then, tap Never.
6. Similarly, tap the other three options one by one and select Never. Once done, you will not find any auto-downloads happening on your phone. The files you manually choose to download are only saved on your phone.
Also Read: How to Export WhatsApp Chat as PDF
How to Stop Auto Download from Single ChatFollow the given steps to stop auto download in WhatsApp from a single chat.
Option 1: On Android Phone
The platform provides an option to stop auto-downloading for one chat contact or group. Follow the steps given below on how to stop WhatsApp from downloading and saving photos or videos.
1. Open the WhatsApp application on your Android phone.
2. Long-press the desired chat contact for a few seconds to select it.
3. Tap the three vertical dots at the upper right corner and select the View contact option.
Note: For a group chat, tap Group info.
4. Tap the Media visibility option.
5. Select No on the prompt window popup. Then, tap OK.
Once finished, you will not find any media files received from the person on your phone gallery anymore.
Also Read: How to Change Font Style in WhatsApp
Option 2: On iPhone
Here, you can prevent the photos or videos from appearing on the camera roll for each contact. Here is how to stop WhatsApp from downloading and saving photos or videos.
1. Open the WhatsApp application on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Settings icon present at the bottom right corner of the display screen.
3. Tap the Chat option.
4. Toggle off the Save to Camera Roll option on the Chat settings.
Also Read: How to See Blocked Messages on iPhone
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. What is the maximum file size one can share on WhatsApp?
Ans. The limit for sharing photos and video attachments is up to 16 MB each, while the document limit is 100 MB in the app. But note if you attach photos and videos together as a document, you can share it with a 100 MB limit.
Q2. Is it possible to disable media auto-download via WhatsApp web?
Ans. Unfortunately, no. It is not possible to disable media auto-download via WhatsApp web.
You can disable it only through your mobile phone.
Q3. What are the WhatsApp features available on the mobile version but not on the web?
Ans. The features available in the WhatsApp mobile version but not on its web version are new contact creation, sending a WhatsApp broadcast, making or receiving phone or video calls, posting a new status update, and sharing a current location or map.
Recommended:
- 26 Best Tycoon Games on Roblox
- How to Delete Uber Eats Account
- How to Take a Break from Someone on Facebook
- Fix Instagram Post Stuck on Sending
We hope that this article was helpful and you have learned how to stop auto download in WhatsApp. Feel free to reach out to us with your queries and suggestions via the comment section below. Also, let us know what you want to learn next.
WhatsApp: how to stop auto-uploading photos and videos
How to remove saving photos in WhatsApp?
How to disable auto-saving of photos to iPhone and Android gallery in Whatsapp
- Open Whatsapp.
- In the lower right corner, click on the gear "Settings"
- Select the menu item "Chats"
- Uncheck "Save Media"
How to remove WhatsApp autoload on iPhone?
Incoming images and videos will no longer be saved to the Camera Roll. nine0019 …
How to turn off automatic uploading of photos and videos in WhatsApp for iPhone
- Open WhatsApp on iPhone and go to the "Settings" tab.
- Go to the Chats menu.
- Set the switch opposite the "To Film" item to the inactive position.
How to disable autosave in WhatsApp Android?
How to stop WhatsApp media from being stored in the phone gallery
- Open WhatsApp.
- Click on More Options > > Settings > Chats . nine0008
- Disable media visibility.
How to remove a video call from WhatsApp?
From your profile menu, go to the "Settings" section. Open Notifications. Press the "Sound" button located in the "WhatsApp Call" section.
Select "Mute".
How to enable saving photos in WhatsApp?
Launch WhatsApp and go to the "Settings" of the program by touching the corresponding icon in the lower right corner of the screen. Open the settings section called "Data and storage". The category of settings we are interested in is titled "AUTO LOAD MEDIA" - tap here "Photo". nine0005
How to save photos from WhatsApp to gallery?
We will immediately give an answer to the question of where Whatsapp photos are stored - in the smartphone gallery, with any download method they will be transferred there.
…
Android
- Open WhatsApp and click on the "Chats" button on the top bar;
- Select the desired conversation and open it;
- You will see a gray “Save” arrow above the picture;
How to turn off auto upload photos on iPhone?
How to enable or disable auto download and sync
In the upper right corner of the screen, tap your profile picture or initial icon.
Autoload and sync. Enable or disable auto download and sync.
How to remove auto-upload photos in WhatsApp?
On Android smartphones, you can easily turn off automatic saving of files sent by your contacts. Open WhatsApp and go to the "Settings" menu. Navigate to the "Data & Storage" section and look for the "Media Startup" category. nine0019
How to turn off photo saving on iPhone?
To turn off iCloud Photos on all devices:
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Photos, then tap Disable & Delete.
- On a Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud.
How to turn off WhatsApp backup? nine0003
How to turn off WhatsApp backup
- Open WhatsApp, click on the vertical dots.
- Enter "Settings".
- Click the "Chats" section.
- Now in the Google Drive settings, click on Backups.
- Check the box next to “Never”.
How to save WhatsApp photos to a memory card?
To save media files to a memory card, you need:
- open smartphone settings;
- find the “Storage”, “Memory” or “Content settings” section;
- select “Default storage location”;
- check the box next to “SD card”.
Why doesn't WhatsApp save photos to the gallery?
WhatsApp files are stored on the phone in a special WhatsApp folder. But in order for them to be saved, you need to make a note in the WhatsApp settings to always save files. … The application itself creates a new WhatsApp folder. And now everything that comes will be in the gallery. nine0019
How can I remove the video call?
The company's clients - individuals and legal entities (except for PRIVET subscribers), if necessary, can disable the "Video Call" service by submitting a written application in the form established by the company to the A1 sales and service center or to the company's official attorneys.
How to turn off the camera in WhatsApp?
During a video call, press Turn off camera . In this case, your interlocutor will receive a corresponding notification. When your interlocutor turns off his camera, you will switch to an audio call. nine0005
How to disable auto-download in WhatsApp
Do you know how to disable auto-download in WhatsApp for any type of media to save bandwidth? If you haven't heard it yet, let's talk! There is a great way to save precious megabytes of data that are wasted on content that is not always needed.
Disabling auto-upload on iPhone
You can disable auto-upload of photos in WhatsApp in a few seconds - first, let's figure out why you need to be able to work with the option? You can independently regulate which types of content you prioritize. nine0005
As a reminder, any documents or multimedia should be downloaded when connected to a wireless network. If you allow uploading data on the mobile network, you can lose a large number of megabytes and significantly increase traffic consumption.
If you want to save the Internet and increase the speed of work, think about how to disable the automatic download of photos from WhatsApp. Attention! Don't confuse this with the autosave feature.
The instruction is simple:
- Open the application and click on the settings gear from the bottom right; nine0008
- Go to the Data and Storage section;
- Locate the Media Startup tab.
Here are several subsections: photos, audio, video and documents. You can click on each icon to select the download source. Three options are available to users:
- WiFi. Content only downloads when connected to a wireless network;
- Wi-Fi and cellular. Content will be loaded in the presence of any connection; nine0008
- Never. The name speaks for itself.
We want to stop auto-uploading photos in WhatsApp (and other types of content), so we select the "Never" option. Changes made are saved automatically, so you just need to exit the menu.
Important! Voice messages are always downloaded automatically.
Learn how to pin a message to a conversation here. If you decide to disable auto-download of media files in WhatsApp, be prepared for the following:
- Media will not download automatically - you need to click on each file to transfer it to the smartphone gallery;
- Videos are not downloaded in autoload format! But if you click on the "Play" button, the video will start playing, which will automatically entail a background download.
Done - the option can be canceled at any time, set up data download in a convenient way.
Disable autoload on Android
Now we answer the question of how to stop downloading photos in WhatsApp on Android. The instruction has certain differences specific to this operating system - we will not work with content types, but with available download networks. nine0005
What needs to be done?
- Enter the application and tap on the three dots at the top right;
- Open Settings and find the Data & Storage tab.
Now you can select the type of network you are using:
- Mobile network. This is mobile internet;
- WiFi. Wireless connection;
- Roaming. Connection while abroad.
To turn off the download of photos from WhatsApp through any source, you need to open each of the three menus presented above and uncheck all the lines. nine0005
The following options are available:
- Photos;
- Video;
- Documents;
- Audio.
If you want to disable the automatic upload of photos in WhatsApp, uncheck the box opposite (green checkmark) and save the changes. Don't forget to open the menu of all connection types - mobile, wireless and roaming, to disable auto-download exactly.
You have learned how to remove autoload in WhatsApp - a great solution to save traffic. If you want to opt out of automatic downloads in order to hide content from the smartphone gallery, you can go the other way without disabling the option.
