Lets see how to stop automatic media downloads on the WhatsApp app (Android and iPhone).
I use Google Pixel 4a (Android 12) and iPhone (iOS 15.2).
How to Turn Off Media Auto-Download in WhatsApp (iPhone)
Here are the steps:
Open the WhatsApp app.
Select Settings at the bottom, then Storage and Data.
Youll see these options in the Media Auto-Download section:
- Photos
- Audio
- Video
- Documents
Choose one of them, and youll view these three options:
- Never This disables auto-download of selected media. For example, if I choose Never for Video, WhatsApp will not auto-download the video.
- Wi-Fi This only downloads selected media on a Wi-Fi connection.
- Wi-Fi and Cellular This downloads selected media on Wi-Fi and mobile data.
Choose the one you prefer.
You can do the above steps for other options in the Media Auto-Download section if you wish.
Thats all.
Check out the How to Reset Auto-Download Settings section if youd like to reset these.
How to Stop Auto-Download in WhatsApp (Android)
Here are the steps:
Open the WhatsApp app.
Tap the three vertical dots in the upper right corner.
Select Settings > Storage and data.
Youll see these three options in the Media auto-download section. Lets see them below.
To turn off the auto-download of media on mobile data, select the When using mobile data option.
Deactivate the ones you dont want to auto-download and tap OK.
To disable auto-download on Wi-Fi, select When connected on Wi-Fi. Uncheck the checkbox of your preferred ones and tap OK.
To cancel automatic downloads while roaming, select When roaming. Uncheck the desired ones and tap OK.
Thats it. From now on, tap the Download icon in the media files you receive to download them.
Check out the next section if youd like to reset these.
See: How to Change Photo Upload Quality on WhatsApp
How to Reset Auto-Download Settings
You can reset it whenever you want, and heres how on Android and iPhone:
iPhone
Tap the Settings tab at the bottom and select Storage and Data. Tap the Reset Auto-Download Settings option.
Thats all. Note that if you cant tap on the option above, then it means that you already have the default settings.
Android
Unlike the iPhone, there is no reset option for Android.
However, you can reset it by applying the default settings manually. You can find them at the top of this section.
Thats it.
Notes:
By default, WhatsApp automatically downloads:
- Photos on the mobile data connection.
- All media (Photos, audio, videos, and documents) on the Wi-Fi connection.
- Nothing on roaming. This one only applies to WhatsApp for Android.
Also, note these things before you proceed with the steps:
- There is no option to stop voice messages from auto-download on WhatsApp.
- You cant stop media auto-download on WhatsApp Web.
I hope this guide, How to Stop Auto-Download in WhatsApp on iPhone and Android, is helpful to you.
Thanks for reading.