whatsappBillions of messages are sent over the WhatsApp chat platform every day. One of the reasons for the service's massive popularity is that it lets users send and receive as many media-rich messages as they want, which – as long as they've limited WhatsApp's use of their cellular data plan – costs them next to nothing.

That's great news for senders, but one of the drawbacks of receiving multiple images and video clips from your WhatsApp contacts is that they're automatically saved to your iPhone's Photos app. Apart from being an unwelcome sight in your personal photos, they can start to take up valuable storage space. Fortunately, you can easily prevent this default behavior by following the steps below.

How to Stop WhatsApp Saving to Photos

  1. Launch the WhatsApp app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap the Settings icon (the small cog wheel) at the bottom right of the screen.

  3. Tap Chats.
  4. Toggle off the Save to Photos option so that it no longer shows as green.

whatsapp

Once you've turned off the above setting in WhatsApp, you can still manually opt to save individual media files that you receive in a chat thread. Simply long press on the photo or video clip in question and choose the Save option.

How to Limit WhatsApp Media Downloads to Wi-Fi

If receiving images or video over WhatsApp is sapping your cellular data when you're out and about, you can prevent them from downloading to your iPhone until you're safely back in range of a Wi-Fi connection.

whatsapp
To do so, return to WhatsApp's Settings tab and tap Storage and data. The options under the "Media Auto-Download" section let you dictate which types of media can be downloaded and under what circumstances. Make sure that the media types you're happy to wait for are set to Wi-Fi.

Top Rated Comments

Infinite Vortex Avatar
87 months ago
And use what?
Signal.

If you read the Terms of Use WhatsApp, and Facebook, can grab the full contents of your Contacts app any time they want to. And they want to quite a bit. Not just names and phone numbers, the whole damn lot! WhatsApp won't work without access to Contacts either to ensure they get that data from you… Signal will work with or without your contact data.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
emulajavi Avatar
87 months ago
Whatsapp should let send and receive pics at full resolution, without compressing them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RightMACatU Avatar
87 months ago
How to Stop WhatsApp Auto-Saving Images and Video to Your iPhone's Camera Roll
By not installing the app? :p
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pika2000 Avatar
87 months ago
Signal.

If you read the Terms of Use WhatsApp, and Facebook, can grab the full contents of your Contacts app any time they want to. And they want to quite a bit. Not just names and phone numbers, the whole damn lot! WhatsApp won't work without access to Contacts either to ensure they get that data from you… Signal will work with or without your contact data.
Any alternative IM service sounds good, until you realize where all your friends are. And at this point, everybody is too lazy to install/set up yet another messaging service after Whatsapp, Line, Wechat, Telegram, Facebook messenger, etc. Even Google couldn't penetrate the messaging market. Add on the region complexity if you have international friends. Telling your friends of yet another app to install (just to communicate with you) will be greeted with an eye-roll.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arkitect Avatar
87 months ago
iMessage of course remember you are on apples turf
I'll be sure to tell my Android using family and friends I want them all to switch to Apple. For my convenience, of course. ;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
n-evo Avatar
87 months ago
Thank god 99% of my family and friends are on iOS so this isn’t necessary. But my question is...why wouldn’t you just SMS your Android friends? Most plans have unlimited texting these days.
SMS doesn't allow for sending video's, photos, voice memo's, location (with map), live location for a set time, group chat among other things. Also not all plans allow for free unlimited MMS, while SMS is unlimited without extra charges.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple c1

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:08 am PST by
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e. The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store Permanently Closing at Struggling Mall in Chicago Area

Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location. Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017. Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...