How to Stop Auto Download in WhatsApp on iPhone and Android

Part 1: How to Stop Anto Download in WhatsApp on iPhone

For WhatsApp users on iPhone who want to know how to stop auto download in WhatsApp, simply follow the steps below to disable WhatsApp auto download.

1.1 Turn off Media Auto Download in WhatsApp on iPhone

WhatsApp on iPhone allows you to select how media is downloaded to your device on different networks or to set it not to auto downlaod media. Here's how to turn off media auto download in WhatsApp on iPhone.

• Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
• Go to Settings > Storage and Data.

• Under the label "Media Auto-Download", set each option – Photos, Audio, Video, and Documents to "Never".

  

Now, none of the media will be downloaded automatically on your iPhone.

If you want to stop WhatsApp from saving photos only, here is an alternative way: Go to Settings > Chats and turn off the switch for Save to Camera Roll. By doing so, you will stop WhatsApp from automatically saving received photos and videos to your iPhone's Camera Roll.

1.2 Stop Auto Download in WhatsApp Group on iPhone

If you'd like to stop auto-download in one single WhatsApp group, you can do that too. When you disable auto-downlaod in the group, media received from this goup won't be downloaded to your phone's storage, but it will still be visible on WhatsApp.

That said, here's how to stop auto download in WhatsApp group.

• Open WhatsApp and tap the group you'd like to stop auto-download of photos and videos.
• Tap the title of the group.

• Tap "Save to Camera Roll" and set it to "Never".

  

Once done, you won't find any media files received from the group on your phone gallery anymore.

Part 2: How to Stop Anto Download in WhatsApp on Android

Due to different navigation system, the method to stop auto download in WhatsApp on Android is slightly different from that on iPhone, and we're going to walk you through how to turn off auto-download in WhatsApp Android.

2.1 Disable Auto Save Media WhatsApp Android

Just like how you turn off auto-download on iPhones, you can turn off media auto-download on Android too via Settings. Here's how to disable auto save media whatsapp Android.

• Open WhatsApp on your Android phone.
• Tap the 3 dots on the top-right corner, select Settings and then open Storage and data.
• Under "Media auto-download" section, tap on each option and uncheck all the media types from the pop-up menu.

• Tap OK to save the change.

  

If you wonder if there is a quick way to stop WhatsApp from saving photos on Android, the good news is there is. Go to Settings > Chats and turn off the toggle for Media Visibility. Now, the downloaded media won't be shown in the gallery.

2.2 Disable Auto Download in WhatsApp Group Android

Similar to how we did on iPhone, you can turn off auto-download for each specific group, which would stop the media from showing up in your gallery.

Here's how to disable auto download in WhatsApp group Android via the from the WhatsApp Group info menu.

• Open WhatsApp and open a group you'd like to stop auto-download for.
• Tap on the 3 dots on the top-right corner in the group and select Group info.
• Find and tap on Media visibility.
• Change the auto download settings from Default (Yes) to No.

• Tap on "OK" and that's it.

  

Now all the media files from this group will not be automatically downloaded and saved in your Android phone.

Part 3: How to Stop Auto Download in Whatsapp in Windows 10

If you're using WhatsApp on your computer and want to know how to stop auto download in WhatsApp Web, this section is for you.

Unlike mobile WhatsApp which offers you options to turn off auto-download, WhatsApp web doesn't come with such options since it doesn't download media to your device automatically anyway. Whenever you want to download something, you have to manually click the download button. So, you don't have to do anything to make this change.

Extra Tip: How to Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages on Android

If you have accidentally deleted your WhatsApp messages and media, you may be thinking whether there's a way to get them back without uninstalling WhatsApp. Luckily, there's a way, and it's called Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery, a well-known WhatsApp data recovery tool for Android and iPhone. With UltData WhatsApp Recovery, you can recover your WhatsApp data, including messages, photos, and videos, in just a couple of minutes.

Without any further ado, let's see how to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Android.

• Download and install UltData WhatsApp Recovery on your computer.



• Once installed, run the program and click "Device" from the presented options.

  

• Connect your phone to the PC and enable USB Debugging on the phone.

  

• When your phone gets detected, click "Start" to allow it to scan for your deleted WhatsApp data.

  

• Make sure you're logged in to your WhatsApp account, then click "Yes, I want to continue." To avoid data loss, it's recommended that you should backup your WhatsApp cahts first.

  

• When it finishes the scanning, you will all WhatsApp data including the deleted WhatsApp messages. Select the messages you want to recover and click on Start.

  

• You'll be notified when the deleted WhatsApp messages are recovered successfully!

Conclusion

There you go. If you've been annoyed by WhatsApp automatically downloading stuff to your gallery, now you know how to stop auto download in WhatsApp. Plus, you've also learned about Tenorshare UltData WhatsApp Recovery, the perfect tool for you if you have lost your precious WhatsApp messages or media.