WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, used by over 2 billion people worldwide. However, many users encounter the frustrating “Storage full” notification pop-up in WhatsApp. This indicates that the app no longer has enough storage space on your phone to function properly.
Why Does WhatsApp Run Out of Storage?
There are a few key reasons why you may see the “Storage full” message in WhatsApp:
- Too many media files – Photos, videos, GIFs, voice messages and other media can quickly eat up your storage. The more you exchange with friends, the more space is used up.
- Group chats – Being in multiple group chats means a constant stream of media and messages that fill up space.
- Web downloads – Media like photos and videos that you download from WhatsApp Web also take up phone storage.
- Cached data – WhatsApp stores cached data from conversations, contacts etc. Over time this cached data can grow and occupy storage.
- Device storage – If your phone overall has little free space left, WhatsApp’s portion of storage will reach full capacity quicker.
In most cases, the “Storage full” alert is triggered when WhatsApp’s allocated storage exceeds about 90% capacity. The app requires free space to receive new messages, media and other updates. Without it, you will face issues like sending/receiving failures, lost data and chat history gaps.
How Much Storage Does WhatsApp Use?
WhatsApp automatically allocates storage space on your phone from the total free internal memory. This allocated storage varies based on your device and usage patterns, but is usually in the range of:
- 100 MB to 250 MB on most Android phones
- 150 MB to 350 MB on most iPhones
Some flagship devices with large storage capacities may allocate up to 500 MB or more for WhatsApp. The app requires additional free space to operate smoothly, apart from this allocated amount. If the phone has SD card support, WhatsApp will also store media on the external SD card storage.
How to Free Up WhatsApp Storage on Android
Here are the top ways to clear WhatsApp storage space on Android phones when you see the “Storage full” alert:
- Clear Chat History – Deleting old chats and their media is the fastest way to free up chunks of storage. Go to Settings – Data and Storage Usage – Clear Data to wipe chat history.
- Delete Media – Open chats individually and delete unwanted photos, videos and other files you’ve accumulated over time.
- Export Chat History – You can export chat histories to a backup like Google Drive, then delete them from WhatsApp to free up space.
- Disable Auto-Download – Turn off auto-download for media in Settings to stop files from unnecessarily using up space.
- Move App to SD Card – If your Android supports SD cards, you can transfer WhatsApp to external storage in Settings to free up internal memory.
- Clear App Cache – Over time WhatsApp stores cache and temporary data. Wipe this in your Phone Storage settings to get back space.
- Uninstall and Reinstall App – As a last resort, backup chats, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp to let the app start with fresh allocated storage.
How to Free Up WhatsApp Storage on iPhone
For iPhones, here are the main ways to clear WhatsApp storage when you get the dreaded “Storage full” notification:
- Offload App – Go to Settings – Storage – WhatsApp and choose Offload App. This removes WhatsApp while saving your data and messages. You can reinstall it later.
- Delete Media – Open WhatsApp, go to Settings – Storage and Data – Manage Storage and delete old media.
- Backup Chats – Backup chats to iCloud, then delete those chat histories in WhatsApp by going to Settings – Chats – Clear All Chats.
- Disable Auto-Download – Go to Settings – Storage and Data and disable auto-download options for when on cellular data or roaming.
- Clear Photo Library Cache – Go to iPhone Settings – General – iPhone Storage, choose WhatsApp and clear the Photo Library cache.
- Uninstall Reinstall App – Backup chats, uninstall and reinstall the app for a fresh start as a last resort fix. iCloud backup keeps your data safe.
How to Prevent WhatsApp “Storage Full” Messages
Apart from clearing WhatsApp storage when it fills up, you can take some preventive measures to avoid those frustrating “Storage full” alerts:
- Delete Old Chats – Make it a habit to regularly delete outdated one-on-one and group conversations you no longer need.
- Disable Auto-Media Download – Restrict WhatsApp from automatically saving every photo and video you receive to your phone storage.
- Use WhatsApp Web – When at home or work, use WhatsApp Web on your PC browser to send and receive messages without occupying phone storage.
- Compress Images Before Sending – Use your phone’s built-in tools or third party apps to compress images to smaller sizes before sending on WhatsApp.
- Export Chat Backups – Periodically export chat histories, media and documents to other storage like Google Drive, iCloud or computer so you can delete them from WhatsApp.
- Expand Device Storage – Upgrade to a phone with more internal storage capacity if you tend to store a lot of WhatsApp media files and data on your device.
Understanding WhatsApp Media Storage on Android vs iPhone
It’s important to note the differences in how WhatsApp media storage works on Android and iOS:
| Media Storage Behavior | Android | iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated WhatsApp Media Folder | Yes | No |
| Stores Media in Central Gallery | No | Yes |
| Media Visible in Phone Gallery App | No | Yes |
| Can Move WhatsApp Media to SD Card | Yes | No |
On Android, WhatsApp media is saved in a dedicated folder not visible in your main gallery. But on iPhone, WhatsApp media is stored in the central iOS Photos app gallery. This means clearing iPhone storage requires checking Photos, while for Android you can directly clear WhatsApp media.
Does WhatsApp Compress Photos and Videos?
Yes, WhatsApp does use compression to reduce the file size of photos and videos exchanged on its platform. This helps reduce storage consumption. Here are the key compression practices used by WhatsApp:
- Photos – Photos are compressed to a maximum size of 1.5MB to share on WhatsApp. The original image or photo quality is preserved as much as possible while shrinking the file size by up to 75%.
- Videos – Video compression on WhatsApp reduces files to a maximum of 16MB, down from 100MB in many cases. This significantly cuts storage used while retaining HD quality.
- Voice messages – WhatsApp uses compression to convert voice messages into small audio files around 200KB to 2MB in size.
- Documents – Files and documents are compressed to 100MB while retaining their content and information.
This efficient compression technology prevents your WhatsApp storage from filling up too quickly. But excessive media sharing can still use up space rapidly in the long run.
Does Deleting WhatsApp Media Also Delete From Gallery?
Whether deleting WhatsApp media also removes it from your phone’s main gallery depends on your device:
- iPhone – As WhatsApp media is saved directly in Photos, deleting the media in WhatsApp will remove it from your camera roll gallery.
- Android – Since WhatsApp has its own folder, deleting media here will NOT remove it from your main phone gallery.
- WhatsApp Web – Media deleted here is removed from your phone’s WhatsApp media storage but remains in the gallery.
So on iPhone, deleting media in WhatsApp essentially deletes it from your entire phone. But on Android and WhatsApp Web, the media still stays in your central storage and camera roll.
Tips to Manage WhatsApp Storage on iPhone and Android
Here are some handy tips to better manage WhatsApp storage:
Regularly Clear Old Chats
Make regularly deleting old one-on-one and group conversations a habit. This removes heavy media files exchanged in outdated chats.
Use Google Photos on Android
Back up your WhatsApp images to Google Photos periodically. You can then delete those media files on WhatsApp to free up space.
Export Chat Backups
Export chat backups to Google Drive or iCloud at least weekly. This lets you delete those chats and media from WhatsApp storage.
Monitor Media Folders
On Android check the WhatsApp media folder size in phone storage settings. On iPhone review the Photos app size for WhatsApp media.
Favor Text Over Media
When possible, use text messages over photos, videos and voice messages which consume much more space.
Clear Phone Storage
Free up overall device storage by removing unused apps, files and clearing cache. This increases available space for WhatsApp.
Conclusion
Running out of storage is a common annoyance faced by WhatsApp users on both Android and iOS devices. Thankfully, there are many straightforward fixes you can try to clear up space when you see the dreaded “Storage full” message.
The key solutions include deleting old chats and media, disabling auto-download of files, moving the app to SD card on Android, and offloading or reinstalling WhatsApp on iPhone. Combining these fixes with smart media sharing and storage management habits can help you avoid those frustrating storage issues.
WhatsApp’s built-in compression and optimization technology also saves storage by reducing media sizes without sacrificing too much quality. But regular housekeeping is still required to stop the app from occupying too much valuable space on your phone.
With billions of users worldwide, WhatsApp is clearly here to stay. Learning how to manage its storage usage is an important skill for anyone who relies on the platform for messaging and communication.
Following the tips outlined, you can ensure WhatsApp never again has to send you those dreaded notifications that your storage is full.