Millions of people across the globe use WhatsApp as the easy-to-use messaging application comes with a lot of features including the ability to receive and send photos, videos, GIFs, and now also money through WhatsApp UPI. However, this abundance of media exchange often results in the accumulation of unnecessary files on the devices of users, particularly when the auto-download feature is activated. But not many users are aware that the auto-download feature in WhatsApp can be manually disabled.


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There are two options available: disabling auto-download for all WhatsApp chats and groups collectively, or selectively disabling it for specific chats or groups using the 'Media Visibility' feature. This feature, turned on by default, only affects new media and does not apply to old media.


Steps to disable auto-download on WhatsApp in chats/groups:


1. First, you need to go to the particular chat or chat where you want to disable auto-download.


2. Go to the chat's profile section and scroll down to find the 'Media Visibility' feature.


3. On selecting the tab, you will find three options (Default yes), (Yes), and (No).


4. Select the 'No' option to disable the media auto-download option.


Note: You can follow the same process to enable the feature and choose 'Yes' instead of 'No'.


Once this feature is disabled, you will need to manually download all sorts of media that you receive in the particular chat or group. This will not only save your mobile data but will also free up a lot of storage space in your device.


If you wish to disable the auto-download option for all chats and groups in one go, follow the given steps:


1. Go to Settings and find the 'Storage and Data' tab.


2. Click to open the same and find 'Media auto-download'.


3. You'll find three options to download when 'using mobile data', 'connected on Wi-Fi', and 'when roaming'.


4. Choose 'No media' for all these options and save.


Just like media visibility, for this as well you will need to manually download photos, videos, or GIFs.