A recent conversation with some colleagues threw up one of those annoyances I’ve just lived with. In an age where every single minute task needs a WhatsApp group, our phones have become awash with images that we really don’t want. WhatsApp adds to this problem infinitely, but there’s a really easy way to solve your problem.
Wait, what’s the problem?
We all have that one group that plays fast and loose with x-rated gifs or adult jokes. You know the group I’m on about. Someone sends a gif of something inappropriate buy hilarious so you giggle and forget about it. You forget about it until someone is looking at your holiday snaps and they swipe left to see that gif you received in WhatsApp. Come on, you remember the gif. The one snipped from that famous video of hilariously censored porn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xck4Bo1gCo
Hilarious, but not something you want your colleague seeing, right?
The problem is that WhatsApp assumes you want all of these photos and gifs downloaded to your phone. It’s a setting that’s turned on by default, but it’s remarkably easy to switch this off and spare yourself some blushes. Here’s the how.
Stop WhatsApp Downloading Images: Android
Follow these simple steps and the jobs done:
Stop Downloading Images Altogether
- Open WhatsApp
- Tap More Options – that’s the three dots button
- Tap Settings
- Tap Chats
- Turn off Media Visibility
You’ll need to manually delete all images downloaded to date, but going forward you’ll need to manually save images to your gallery.
Stop Downloading Images for a Particular Group
Sometimes, it’s just that one group that’s landing you in it. For them you can:
- Open WhatsApp
- Open the Group giving you problems
- Tap More Options – that’s the three dots button
- Tap Group Info
- Tap Media Visibility
- Select No
Again, you’ll need to manually delete all images downloaded to date, but going forward you’ll need to manually save images to your gallery – no more auto-downloads from this group.
Stop WhatsApp Downloading Images: iOS
Would you believe, for once, it’s exactly the same process!