By default, WhatsApp saves all incoming downloaded pictures to the iOS Photos app. As a result, a single image has two copies – one in the chat and one in the Camera Roll. To keep the Photos app decluttered and maintain free space, you may want to stop WhatsApp from automatically saving images and videos to the iPhone Photos app. Let me quickly show you how to do this for all chats or specific ones.
- How to stop WhatsApp from auto-saving all media to iPhone Photos app
- Stop WhatsApp from saving photos to iPhone Camera Roll from one chat/person
- Limit automatic download of photos and videos in WhatsApp
How to stop WhatsApp auto-saving media to your iPhone Photos app
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
- Tap Settings from the bottom right.
- Tap Chats.
- Toggle off Save to Camera Roll.
Stop WhatsApp from saving photos to iPhone Camera Roll from one chat/person
Have a friend who spams you with irrelevant photos, videos, memes, etc.? Here is how to stop them. Repeat the steps for multiple chats/persons.
- Go to WhatsApp and open a conversation.
- Tap the person’s name at the top.
- Tap Save to Camera Roll and choose Never.
How to override this setting for specific photos
In the above steps, you saw how to prevent media from automatically saving to the iPhone Photos app. But what if you receive a useful photo or video that you want to save to the Photos app. Well, don’t worry. It is easy to save media manually even after turning off automatic saving.
- Open a Whatsapp conversation and tap an image or video.
- Tap the Share icon and choose Save. This will save the image to the iPhone Photos app.
- To save several images and videos manually: Long-press an image and tap Forward. After selecting multiple images and videos, tap the Share icon. Finally, tap Save [number] Items.
Limit automatic download of photos and videos in WhatsApp
Now you know how to stop media from automatically saving to the Photos app. But did you know that you can also prevent WhatsApp from downloading photos and videos automatically over cellular data or Wi-Fi?
This will help save your iPhone storage and net allowance if you are on a limited data plan.
- Open WhatsApp on iPhone and tap Settings at the bottom right.
- Tap Storage and Data.
- Under MEDIA AUTO-DOWNLOAD, tap the desired options and choose Never.
- From now, the selected media won’t auto-download. You will have to tap the download icon manually to view it.
WhatsApp no longer saving photos to your iPhone Camera Roll!
This is how you can prevent WhatsApp chat pictures and videos from saving automatically to the iPhone Photos app. It will help keep your Photos app organized with media that matter!
Have further questions? Feel free to reach us via the comments below.
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