Mobile apps can take up a considerable amount of space on our devices and we need to do something about it so that we don’t get left hanging if we need to receive a photo or other urgent document. In fact, you won’t believe it, but WhatsApp is one of the tools that takes up the most space in smartphone storage, so much so that it limits us on certain occasions if we want to perform a certain action. At this point, how can we clean up files on WhatsApp?
One of the most common mistakes we make without realizing it is filling up the internal storage capacity of our mobile phone to the point where we can no longer use other applications, as it won’t let us access them and we have to delete photos and videos so that we can continue using the smartphone normally.
WhatsApp is considered one of the tools that accumulates the most files as we chat with our family and friends, since sending or receiving documents can cause the space to fill up completely. In addition, it is the application that we use the most daily and the one in which we invest the most hours. Therefore, it becomes the main objective to start emptying folders that are stored and no longer useful to us. Luckily, there are some tricks to solve this situation before we throw our hands up in horror.
What’s taking up space on WhatsApp?
The first question we need to ask ourselves is what actually takes up space on our mobile when we have the WhatsApp app installed. The answer is as easy as quickly mentioning that Meta’s messaging app creates folders for voice notes, photos, videos, stickers and other documents that take up space on the internal storage or SD card of your smartphone.
But that’s not all. It’s also important to add that the backups we make of all our conversations, which at the same time include all the files mentioned above, are taking up storage space. Finally, downloading updates through the Google Play Store or Apple Store become digital objects of occupation.
However, you can see for yourself how much space WhatsApp is taking up on your phone. Just go into the app and click on the three dots at the top left of the screen. Select Settings and then Storage and data. In Manage storage you will see how many gigabytes you are using.
What are the tricks to free up space?
First, as we mentioned above, get rid of unnecessary files from Settings and Storage & data. The next step is to delete chats or empty them periodically, both for individual and group conversations, as long as they are not important.
Next, always try to reduce the quality of the multimedia content you are going to send or receive so that its weight is not so large. You can change this setting in Settings and Storage and data. In the Multimedia file upload quality section, choose the Standard quality option. In this same section, also deactivate Automatic download.
Finally, disable the Keep chats archived option in Settings and Chats. This will prevent you from saving chats every time you receive a new message.
