WhatsApp is one of the most popular apps on many phones. However, some users complain that the messaging app takes up too much space on their phones. Behind this is a problem that can be solved quite easily.
Storage space is usually very limited on phones, as many devices do not allow for expandable storage. It’s not surprising that many users fight for every free gigabyte. Now, some users on reddit are complaining that the popular app WhatsApp takes up a large amount of storage space.
It’s due to a feature that WhatsApp automatically activates, but it can be turned off. What this involves and what you can do about it, you can read on MeinMMO.
Automatic media download fills the system storage of your phone
What is the problem? Many users send not only text messages but also images and videos around. By default, WhatsApp automatically downloads this data from the chats. The idea behind this is simple: When you open your chat, you can immediately view the videos or images.
However, the problem is that all downloaded data is saved locally on your device. If you are in a multitude of groups and people continuously send media files, WhatsApp stores these locally. And that can quickly mean a full phone.
But with a few clicks, you can completely turn off the automatic download. How this works, we will explain to you on MeinMMO.
Here’s how to prevent it: In WhatsApp settings, you can turn off the automatic media download.
- First, open WhatsApp and go to settings.
- Here, select the section Storage and Data.
- Here you will find the option “Automatic Download of Media”.
- Here you select both “on mobile data connection” and “on Wi-Fi connection” one after the other and uncheck all boxes. Now media will no longer be downloaded automatically.
If you want to see images or videos in the chat now, you will need to manually confirm the download on your phone.
Can you delete the data? In principle, you can delete the folder with all the images and videos without any issues, but then they will be truly gone. If you are attached to certain images, it’s best to back them up externally or in another folder. A backup is very simple when you log into WhatsApp with the desktop client.
Beware of strange offers: In general, you should be cautious when you receive strange messages on WhatsApp or other apps. One developer experienced this recently: The victim received a message on WhatsApp claiming that he could earn more money if he participated in a part-time job. But instead, he lost a lot of money:
