How to stop whatsapp storing photos android

By default, the process of sharing photos via WhatsApp automatically saves media files to the recipient's device memory when they are opened in the messenger application. This approach is largely justified, but it can cause certain inconveniences and is often evaluated negatively by users. In the article, we will consider all aspects of using the function of uploading photos coming via WhatsApp to the device storage on Android and the possibility of configuring its operation.

With the default settings, when you open an image in WhatsApp for Android, it is automatically saved to your device's storage and then displayed in your smartphone or tablet's Gallery. Further in the article, we will first consider setting a ban on the implementation of these two possibilities, and in the final third part of the material we will demonstrate how to clear the device’s memory from media files already downloaded from WhatsApp.

How to prevent automatic download of photos from WhatsApp for Android

So, the first thing you can do if the function of the messenger that involves downloading images has become inconvenient (for example, increased consumption of traffic by the device or too fast filling of free space in its memory), is to deactivate the option to automatically download media files. It is possible to establish a ban on its implementation in two ways.

Method 1: Android OS tools

The most radical approach to solving the problem of stopping uncontrolled saving of media files from WhatsApp to the memory of an Android device involves revoking the permission granted to the messenger to access the storage. The instruction below is suitable only for those users who do not plan to use the information exchange system in question for transmitting and receiving files, regardless of their type.

Please note that depending on the version of the mobile OS and the system shell launcher used, the names of options and menu items may differ from those described and captured in the screenshots below, but the general principle is the same in all versions of Android!

1. Enter the "Settings" of the mobile OS by any preferred method. Next, open the settings category called Applications.
2. Click All Apps. Then find the “WhatsApp” item in the list of software installed on the device that opens and tap on its name.
3. On the screen containing information about the messenger application, click "App Permissions". Next, move the switch located to the right of the name of the "Storage" ("Memory") option to the "Off" position. This completes the configuration - exit the "Settings" of Android.
4. In fact, our task is solved - launch WhatsApp and make sure that now any attempt by the messenger to carry out any manipulation with the image will fail and display a request for permission.

Method 2: WhatsApp settings

WhatsApp developers for Android have provided in this version of the service client application the possibility of quite flexible adjustment of various parameters, including those related to the function in question. This allows us to solve our problem more “elegantly” and “correctly” than the method proposed above in the article.

1. Launch the messenger and go to its "Settings". To do this, click on the corresponding item in the menu called by touching the three vertically located dots in the upper right corner of the menu screen.
2. Open the WhatsApp settings section entitled "Data and storage".
3. Next, you need to configure the operation of two options:
   Click "Mobile network", uncheck the "Photo" checkbox in the window that appears, and then click "OK".
4. Tap "Wi-Fi" and, just as in the previous case, uncheck the "Photo" checkbox, and then confirm the changes to the settings by tapping "OK".
5. After completing the configuration, exit the “Settings” of WhatsApp and you can proceed with the normal operation of the messenger - now the images received through it will not enter the device’s memory uncontrollably.

How to configure autoload?

WhatsApp will automatically download images using your cellular connection to give you quick access to your latest photos.

To set up auto-upload of photo, video and audio files, just go to WhatsApp > Menu > Settings > Chats and Calls > Media Autoload .

You can choose when WhatsApp automatically downloads media files.

When connected to a mobile network

Selected media files will be automatically downloaded when you connect to a cellular network.

When connected to a Wi-Fi network

The selected media will automatically download when connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Disabling the display of photos from WhatsApp in the Android Gallery

If your goal is not to save space in the memory of your Android smartphone / tablet or the traffic consumed by the device, but to organize photos in the built-in OS tool for viewing and organizing them - "Gallery" , then you can use one of the following methods.

Please note that when using the first two instructions from the article presented later in this section, not only pictures will be hidden in the Gallery, but also videos received via the messenger, as well as GIF animation!

Method 1: Separate conversations and groups

First, you can turn off the display in the Gallery of not absolutely all the pictures that you viewed in WhatsApp, but only those that were received within a single conversation or group chat.

1. Open the messenger and go to the chat configured in the above way.
2. Click on the three dots to the right of the contact name or group name at the top of the screen and select "View Contact" or "Group Details" respectively.
3. On the next screen, find the name of the Media Visibility option and tap it. In the window that opens, move the radio button to the "No" position, tap "OK".

Method 2: All photos

To deactivate saving absolutely all media files received from WhatsApp in the Gallery:

1. Start the messenger and open its main menu, tap "Settings".
2. From the list of app setting categories, go to Chats. Next, deactivate the "Media Visibility" toggle.
3. That's it - close Settings and start using WhatsApp normally. The Android Gallery will no longer display images received through the messenger.

Method 3: File Manager

Another method by which you can prevent the display of photos from WhatsApp in the Gallery is available for implementation using many Android Explorers (hereinafter referred to as ES File Explorer).

1. Open the file manager and use it

   to follow the path: WhatsApp / Media / WhatsApp Images /.

2. While in the WhatsApp Images folder, call up the action menu - tap on the vertically arranged dots in the upper right corner of the screen. Select "+NEW" and then "File".
3. Enter .nomedia as the name of the file to create. Tap "OK" to complete the operation.
4. That's all - images from the "WhatsApp Images" directory in the Gallery will not be displayed until you delete the file created in step 9 above0069 .nomedia .

Method 4: Gallery tools

Among other methods, it is possible to hide pictures received via WhatsApp from the Gallery using the tools integrated into the media viewer application itself.

1. Enter the Gallery and then open the Albums tab.
2. Find "WhatsApp Images" in the list of albums and long press on its name to bring up the menu. Select the "Make invisible" option, which will make the catalog no longer visible in the Gallery, but will not cease to exist.

How to manually clear WhatsApp cache

Step 1. Open WhatsApp.

Step 2. Go to the "Settings" section.

Step 3. Expand the Data and Storage menu.

Step 4. Pay attention to the "Storage Management" item.

Modern instant messengers are almost the main source of wasted memory in the storage of every mobile device. Using the above menu of the WhatsApp application, you can assess the "scale of the tragedy" and carry out the necessary cleaning.

⚠️ If the instruction stopped working or you have problems at some step, please report it in the comments. We will definitely investigate the issue and update the article.

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Clearing memory from photos downloaded from WhatsApp

The techniques described above in this article, which involve disabling automatic saving of pictures from WhatsApp and / or their visibility in the Android Gallery, are effective in relation to those media files that will be received after performing one or more other procedure. To get rid of “old” images, for example, to free up the space they occupy in the device’s storage, either the tools provided in the messenger or manual deletion are used.

Method 1: Messenger tools

In order to delete photos received via WhatsApp for Android, you don't even have to leave the application, and clearing the smartphone storage from media files is quite flexible here.

Chat settings

1. Open an individual or group chat in the messenger. Photos received within the selected conversation, and only these, will be erased from the smartphone's memory as a result of following the instructions. Touch the title of a conversation to go to a screen with information and options.
2. Click on the name of the area, which is located under the avatar of the interlocutor or group and contains previews of pictures and videos from the chat. On the screen that opens, in the "Media" tab, select the photos to be deleted - the first one by long pressing on its thumbnail, and the rest - with short taps.
3. Touch the "Trash" icon at the top of the screen and confirm the messenger's request by clicking "DELETE ME" in the window that appears.

Application settings

1. Launch WhatsApp for Android and go to the "Settings" of the application from the tapped application using the three menu points located at the top right of the screen.
2. Click Data and Storage and then Storage. On the next screen, tap on the title of the conversation in which the erased data was generated. By the way, the names of the interlocutors and the names of the groups in the list are sorted by the amount of device memory occupied by information from them.
3. Click FREE SPACE at the bottom right corner of the screen. Uncheck the boxes located to the right of all types of information received as part of the correspondence, except for "Photo" (unless you want to delete other information at the same time as the pictures). Next, click "DELETE OBJECTS" at the bottom of the screen on the right. Confirm the request received from WhatsApp by tapping "DELETE MESSAGES" in the window that appears.
4. If you want to delete photo files that are not from a single conversation, repeat the instructions for each of the conversations to be cleared.

Method 2: File Manager

Of course, if there are many dialogs and groups open in WhatsApp, and a large number of images have accumulated in the device’s memory in the process of receiving information from them, cleaning using the above method can take a long time. It is more convenient and in order to destroy all the photos downloaded by the messenger at a time, use any file manager.

1. Launch File Explorer for Android and navigate to the Media folder from the WhatsApp directory in your device's storage.
2. Long press on the WhatsApp Images directory name to highlight it. Click on the trash icon in the action menu that became available after checking the box on the folder and then confirm the file manager prompt.
3. That's all - photos received via WhatsApp and now no longer needed will be erased from the memory of the Android device. If you want to use the ability to save photos from the messenger in the future, do not worry - the remote directory will be created automatically when you initiate the image upload.

How to stop saving photos from WhatsApp in the phone memory

Messenger WhatsApp takes up a lot of space on your smartphone. Almost all photos and other multimedia files are automatically downloaded to your device without your knowledge. Blocking automatic saving of photos and videos in WhatsApp will save the gadget's memory, as well as reduce its power consumption, battery consumption and data transfer volume. Here we will explain how0276 Disable automatic saving of WhatsApp media files in phone memory .

• How to disable saving media from WhatsApp to Android phone memory
• How to disable saving media from WhatsApp to iPhone library
• How to stop saving files received in private or group chats

How to turn off saving WhatsApp media to Android phone storage

If you don't want WhatsApp media files to be automatically saved to your Android phone library, follow these few simple steps.

Open WhatsApp on your smartphone and click on the three dots in the top right corner of the screen. Go to Settings (Settings), then select Data and storage usage (Data and storage usage). On the screen that appears, under Media Auto-Download, select each of the three options: When using mobile data (When using mobile data), When connected via Wi-Fi (When connected on Wi-Fi), When roaming (When roaming), and in the new menu, select files to download automatically. To not save any file, clear all checkboxes.