WhatsApp statuses are saved locally on your device, not on WhatsApp’s servers. When you view someone’s status update, it gets downloaded and saved to your phone’s internal storage. There are a few different folders where your WhatsApp statuses can be stored depending on your device and settings.
WhatsApp Status Storage on Android
On Android phones, WhatsApp statuses are stored in the WhatsApp folder located in your phone’s internal storage. The exact path can vary, but it’s usually something like: Internal Storage > WhatsApp > Media > Statuses.
Inside the Statuses folder, you’ll see subfolders organized by date and time. For example, a folder named “2022-08-15” would contain statuses posted on August 15, 2022. Within each date folder are individual status files saved as .jpg images or .mp4 videos.
If you allow WhatsApp to access external SD card storage on your Android phone, it may also save statuses there, typically under SD Card > WhatsApp > Media > Statuses. The folder structure is the same.
Finding Specific Statuses on Android
To locate a specific status update, browse to the Statuses folder and look in the subfolder for the date it was posted. You can also use your phone’s search function to find status files. On some Android phones, you can search for media content right from the WhatsApp app by tapping the magnifying glass icon.
Changing WhatsApp Status Storage Location
If you want WhatsApp to save statuses to your SD card rather than internal storage, go to WhatsApp Settings > Data and Storage Usage > Media Auto Download. Tap “Statuses” and select your SD card.
You can also move existing statuses to your SD card manually from your phone’s file manager app. Just cut and paste the Status folder to your SD card storage location.
WhatsApp Status Storage on iPhone
On iPhones, WhatsApp’s media content including statuses gets saved to your phone’s native Photos app. You’ll find statuses mixed in with all your other photos and videos.
To see only your WhatsApp statuses in the Photos app, open the Albums tab and look for an album named WhatsApp Statuses. This album contains all the individual status updates saved to your phone.
If you can’t find the WhatsApp Statuses album, statuses may be scattered across your Recent photos instead. You can search for specific status files by date or content to find them.
Changing WhatsApp Status Storage on iPhone
There is no setting to change the status storage location on iPhone. WhatsApp automatically saves all media to your device’s native Photos app.
You can use the Photos app’s albums feature to organize statuses into a separate album though. Just create a new album named “WhatsApp Statuses” and manually move statuses into it.
Finding Old Statuses
Since statuses disappear after 24 hours by default, you may want to retrieve and save important or memorable updates. Old statuses get stored in the same locations outlined above for at least 30 days.
On Android, statuses older than 30 days get saved in directories under Statuses > Archived. This folder contains date-organized archives of statuses posted more than 30 days ago.
On iPhone, old statuses remain mixed in with all your photos and videos. They don’t get moved or deleted automatically after 30 days. You’ll need to scroll back through your Photos app history and search by date or content to find them.
Saving Expiring Statuses
If you see a status you want to preserve before it expires, you can save it manually:
- On Android: Long press on the status and choose “Save status”. This saves it to your device’s Download folder.
- On iPhone: Tap and hold the status, then tap “Save” to save it to your Photos app.
You can then move the saved status to another album or folder for permanent storage.
Backing Up Saved Statuses
To make sure you have copies of your saved statuses, you should regularly back up your WhatsApp media.
On Android, copy the Statuses folder from your phone’s storage to a computer or cloud storage periodically. You can also include the WhatsApp folder in your Android backups.
On iPhone, back up your device to iCloud to safely store your Photos app content including statuses. You can also connect to a computer and sync iPhone photos and videos to photo backup software.
Deleting Saved WhatsApp Statuses
If you want to delete saved statuses from your phone’s storage:
- On Android: Browse to the status file in the Statuses folder and delete it.
- On iPhone: Open the photo or video in Photos and tap Delete.
WhatsApp will automatically delete expired statuses older than 30 days, so you only need to manually remove statuses you’ve purposefully saved.
Free Up Space
Statuses can take up storage space on your phone, especially if you view a lot of status updates with videos and photos. To free up space:
- Delete old statuses you no longer need
- Move statuses to external SD card storage on Android
- Enable auto-delete of media after a period of time in WhatsApp settings
WhatsApp also provides tools to easily mass delete statuses and other media if needed.
Prevent Status Saving
If you don’t want WhatsApp to save statuses to your phone:
- On Android: Disable “Save to Gallery” in WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy
- On iPhone: Go to iPhone Settings > Photos and disable WhatsApp access
This will prevent statuses from being stored locally, however you won’t be able to view statuses if you disable saving.
Sharing Saved Statuses
You may want to re-share an interesting or funny status you saved:
- On Android: Share directly from the Statuses folder in your file manager.
- On iPhone: Open the status in Photos and tap the Share button.
Keep in mind it’s usually better to ask permission before re-sharing someone else’s status update.
Status Privacy
Even though statuses disappear from the app after 24 hours, saved statuses can still be accessed on your device. So don’t post anything too private or sensitive.
Also be mindful when granting app permissions that allow access to your media folders where statuses are stored.
WhatsApp Status Tips
- View someone’s profile to see only their statuses.
- Double tap a status to like it and react with emojis.
- Swipe up to reply privately to a status.
- Long press on the camera button to choose 5 second photo statuses.
- Use colorful text formatting in status updates.
Enjoy personalizing your WhatsApp status and viewing your friends’ updates. Just be aware that any status you view gets stored on your device. Manage your status storage wisely and back them up if you want to keep them.