How to clear WhatsApp and chat-app media on Android
Chat apps save the photos and videos you are sent onto your phone. In WhatsApp, open Settings → Storage and data → Manage storage to see the largest files and chats, and change Media auto-download so it stops saving everything. Telegram has the same under Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Usage.
1. WhatsApp: see what is taking the space
- In WhatsApp, tap ⋮ → Settings → Storage and data.
- Tap Manage storage. Larger than 5 MB and Forwarded many times, at the top, are usually the quickest wins; below them, your chats are listed by size.
- Open one, select what you don't need and tap the bin.
2. Stop it filling up again
In WhatsApp, under Settings → Storage and data → Media auto-download, choose what downloads on mobile data, on Wi-Fi and when roaming. With photos and videos off, you tap the ones you want to see.
3. Telegram, Signal and the others
- Telegram: Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Usage. Set Keep Media to a shorter time and clear the cache.
- Signal: Settings → Data and storage → Manage storage.
- Messenger and Viber keep similar settings under their storage or data options.
What clearing chat media does
Deleting a photo or video a chat app saved frees the space and leaves the message, but that photo or video will no longer open in the chat. Save anything you want to keep to your gallery, or back it up, first.
With RefreshMyPhone
On Android, RefreshMyPhone finds the photos and videos that WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, Telegram, Signal, Messenger and Viber have saved on your phone, chat app by chat app. Removing one frees the space and leaves the message, though the photo or video will no longer open in the chat.
Media from the last 14 days and favourites are never selected for you, and its free Smart Settings show how much WhatsApp has saved, with the steps to change what it downloads.
On the App Store now; coming soon to Google Play. Free to scan; €9.99 a year unlocks every clean-up.