How to Stop WhatsApp from Saving Photos

Hey there WhatsApp users ✌🏼

I bet at least one person receives thousands of pics and videos on WhatsApp, and all of them land on their iPhone Camera Roll. I bet twice that this is one of the most annoying things in the world. So, how can you stop this frenzy and finally take control of your iPhone media?

Why would I do this?

Well, we all have those chats with a million participants, college groups, or parent chats where moms and dads discuss whether kids should stay home or go to school during the quarantine. And yes, not even a single percent of all the videos and images you receive need to be saved on your iPhone.

Currently, WhatsApp's default settings automatically download shared media files to the device, using up a lot of storage space. You just lose track of your iPhone storage, and it gets on your nerves. Your Camera Roll becomes a mess, and you can't find a necessary picture or video. Let's resolve it once and for all.

How to Stop WhatsApp from Saving Images in Photos on iPhone

Right, so if you're tired of seeing all the media from WhatsApp in 'Photos', just follow these simple steps:

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Go to Settings and select 'Chats'
3. Turn off the toggle for 'Save to Photos'

How to Stop WhatsApp From Saving Photos At All on iPhone

Now, let's forbid WhatsApp from downloading photos (or any other media) without approval.

1. Open WhatsApp
2. Go to Settings and select 'Storage and data'
3. Select the media type (Photos, Audio, etc.) and the type of connection to use for downloads. Select 'Never' to disallow downloading those files without you trying to open them.

How to Stop WhatsApp from Saving Images in Gallery on Android

1. Tap the three-dot menu and go to 'Settings' and select 'Chats'.
2. Toggle off Media visibility. This prevents WhatsApp from showing newly downloaded media in your gallery. You can also do this for specific chats. Once in a chat, tap the 'contact' or 'group name' then 'Media visibility,' pick 'No' and confirm.

How to Stop WhatsApp From Saving Photos At All on Android

1. Tap the three-dot menu and go to 'Settings' and select 'Storage and Data'.
2. Under the 'Media auto-download' section, you can select different options (like Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Roaming) and the type of media you allow to be downloaded with them. In our case, disable 'Photos' under each section.

You'll need to manually tap the photos in chat to download and cache them on your device afterward.

Afterwords

Congrats, you've got it sorted! Now, you can sigh with relief and not worry about mobile data usage or filling up your iPhone or Android storage.😌

Are you using this feature, and what was the largest chat you were invited to on WhatsApp? Looking forward to your stories ✌🏼

Stay tuned for more tips & tricks!