If you are in many WhatsApp groups, it is easy for WhatsApp storage to quickly multiply by automatic file download, even if you haven’t even opened the chat. Disabling automatic download will save you wasting space on your phone, but it also has security benefits.
Scammers are paying more and more attention to WhatsApp, so disable automatic file download also to protect your mobile download dangerous files automaticallyespecially if someone you know has had their account hacked.
Selective download better than automatic
Every time someone sends you a photo, video, audio or file to WhatsApp, it can be downloaded automatically, if the application is configured that way. This allows you not having to wait for them to download when you open the chat, although in return it has the potential to fill your mobile storage with useless images or videos from chat groups that you don’t even consult.
The problem can also affect your safety, since automatic download can download malicious files directly to your mobile. WhatsApp already disables automatic downloading in strangers’ chats, but it could still be the case that someone you know has had their account hacked and the attacker takes the opportunity to send malicious files to their contacts. In this case, WhatsApp will download them without asking if automatic download is activated for the current network type, WiFi or data.
Although technically there is nothing wrong with having an APK file with viruses in your mobile storage, saving it locally, in addition to taking up unnecessary space, gives you more options. you end up installing and opening it later. The automatic download can also give you a certain “impulse” to open the file that has been sent to you, as it is already available. Having to press the download button first will give you at least a couple of seconds to think about it.
Changing this is as easy as going to WhatsApp settings, entering Storage and data and then Downloading with Wi-Fi and Downloading with mobile data uncheck all boxes. If this is too much and you find yourself clicking the download button more than chatting with your friends, you can always choose to keep the photo boxes active, at least with Wi-Fi. The most dangerous type of file that can reach you through WhatsApp are Documents, since applications are included there.
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