What To Do If WhatsApp Is Using Too Much Space On Your Phone

SachinSangwan - Aug 21, 2019

WhatsApp is among the most widely used messaging platforms across the world. But there's one problem, its messages often consume much of our phones' memory.

WhatsApp is among the most widely used messaging platforms across the world. It helps people stay in touch with their families, friends, co-workers, and even long-lost loved ones. Since the platform is increasingly popular, its user base is huge, and its app is user-friendly, WhatsApp has reached various types of users in multiple age groups. Even the first thing that many people do in the morning is checking their WhatsApp messages.

WhatsApp-is-currently-one-of-the-most-used-messaging-platforms-in-the-world-1 — WhatsApp is currently one of the most used messaging platforms in the world

But there's one problem with our favorite app, its messages often consume much of our phones' memory. And the cause is not text messages but rather the media files, GIFs, videos, and a flow of the goodnight and good morning pictures in the school, family, friends group chat as well.

Storage space is very important in a smartphone. The reason is that smartphones are not only the devices used for making or answering a call, but also for multiple purposes. Downloading work files, answering emails, watching favorite TV and original shows, editing pictures, making presentations and even typing full-fledged documents on the smartphones and thus it is mandatory to have sufficient space available. Do these media files make it complicated? The answer is a big "YES".

Let's learn the following steps that can be used to prevent WhatsApp from occupying the phone's memory:

Whatsapp-media-visibility-2 — WhatsApp Media visibility

Android phones

Open the WhatsApp app on your phone.
Tap the three-dot icon in the right corner at the top of the app's interface.
Tap on Settings.
From the menu in Settings, tap on Chats.
Toggle Media Visibility.

Once this process is done, the media files you get in the app won't be saved in your phone's memory.

But in case someone is not willing to turn off the option of restricting media for all the chats and groups and instead just want to limit certain groups or contacts, the feature can be turned off for those specific chats or specific groups. This can be done in the following way:

Visit the chat window of an individual or a group that you want to modify.
Tap on the contact you want to restrict.
Head to Media Visibility. The app will now ask whether you want to save the newly-downloaded file in the device's gallery.
Choose No.

iPhones

For a person who owns an iPhone, the procedure is a bit different.

How-to-stop-WhatsApp-from-saving-media-on-iPhone-3 — How to stop WhatsApp from saving media on iPhone

Open WhatsApp.
Tap the option 'Settings.'
Tap the option 'Data and Storage.'
When this is done, detailed settings will be seen where users can choose the type/kind of the media file allowed for downloading on the smartphone. The choice can be made among the Audio Files, Video Files, Pictures and the Documents.
Users can either completely stop the app from downloading files or restrict to downloading only when there's a Wi-Fi connection. Similarly, WhatsApp media files can be allowed to download automatically with a tap on the Cellular option or a Wi-Fi.
To save iPhone's memory, tap Never.