Are you having trouble downloading media (photos or videos) received from WhatsApp on Android or iOS? I tried to save a meme or funny video that my friend sent on WhatsApp, but didn’t it help? Thankfully, this should be a simple fix.
This article provides steps to troubleshoot this issue. And hopefully by the end of the article, you’ll be able to download media from WhatsApp without any problems …
1. Check your internet connection
If you’re having trouble using an app that requires the internet to work, you need to make sure your internet connection is working properly.
A good way to do this is to use other apps on your mobile phone to see if they can access the internet. You can also try accessing the web page with your favorite browser.
If you’re having similar connectivity issues with other applications, make sure you’re connected to the Internet.
Fix Wi-Fi connection issues
Start by turning the Wi-Fi router off and then on again. If the router still turns on again and the connectivity issue persists, see our guide for more information on how to fix slow Wi-Fi connections.
Fix problems with cellular data
Try turning off mobile data (or mobile data) and then turning it on again. If that doesn’t work, enable airplane mode and then turn it off. You also need to make sure that your internet plan is active and that you are not running out of data.
If you still can’t download media files on WhatsApp (despite your data plan), try speeding up your mobile data connection.
2. Check the device storage
If you don’t have enough space on your phone’s internal or external storage, you won’t be able to download files from WhatsApp or other applications. It’s easy. If you are trying to download 50MB of video and your device has only 40MB of free storage space, WhatsApp will not complete the download.
For Android, start the file manager app on your smartphone and check the free space on your smartphone. Or Settings> Storage..
Ideally, the storage available on your mobile phone should be sufficient to accommodate the media files you want to download. If you’re running out of storage space, see our guide on how to free up storage space on your Android device.
If you are using an iPhone or iPad Settings> General> iPhone Storage / iPad Storage Check the amount of storage used and the amount of storage remaining.
If your iPhone or iPad has low storage space, a guide that explains how to free up space on iOS can help.
This is another important storage-related check that you need to perform if WhatsApp (or other apps) can’t download media files. If WhatsApp does not have access to your phone’s storage or photos, you may receive an error message when you try to save a media file.
In that case, you need to grant WhatsApp storage permissions.
How to grant WhatsApp storage permissions on Android
Move to Settings> Apps & Notifications> WhatsApp> Permissions> Storage Click To give permission..
How to grant WhatsApp permissions to access photos on iOS
Start Configuration App and select privacy.. next, Photo,Choice WhatsApp From the list of applications All photos Is selected.
4. Force quit WhatsApp
If the app doesn’t work or some features don’t work properly, you can kill the app to remove the obstacles that cause the app to malfunction. Follow the steps below to forcibly terminate the smartphone app.
How to force close WhatsApp on Android
Start your mobile phone Configuration Click on the menu Apps and notifications.. next, WhatsApp From the recently opened app section or click See all apps Select WhatsApp from the list of installed applications. Finally, Forcibly stop Click the icon to select OK At the confirmation prompt.
How to force close WhatsApp on iOS
Double click on physics home Swipe up from the bottom of the button (for iPhone 8 and earlier and iPhone SE 2020) or device screen, and release when the app preview card appears on the screen. Swipe up on WhatsApp preview to force it to close.
Launch WhatsApp again and see if you can download the media file.
5. Reboot the device
Repowering your smartphone can also help resolve this issue. After shutting down the device and turning it back on, check if WhatsApp’s media download feature has been restored.
6. Check if WhatsApp is down
The problem may be from WhatsApp’s side. If the WhatsApp server is down, certain app features may not work.You can use trusted third-party platforms such as: DownDetector Or Outage.Report Check for potential issues with the WhatsApp server.
7. Update WhatsApp to the current version
Another thing to check is that your device is running the latest version of WhatsApp. Older versions of the app may contain bugs that may cause some features to fail. The new version includes a bug fix that restores the app successfully. Click the link below to update WhatsApp on your device.
download: WhatsApp for Android | iOS (freedom)
8. Enable “Save to Camera Roll” (for iPhone)
If you notice that photos and videos received via WhatsApp are no longer automatically saved on your iPhone Save to camera roll It is enabled. Launch WhatsApp and go to Settings> Chat To switch Save to camera roll option.
You can also configure WhatsApp to automatically save media files from personal or group messages. Simply open a chat and go to the contacts / group info page.select Save to camera roll And select always From the options.
9. Reset network settings
If all of the above solutions do not resolve the issue, try resetting your device’s network settings. Especially if you have problems using Wi-Fi or cellular data. If you are using an Android device Settings> System> Advanced> Reset Options Select Reset Wi-Fi, Mobile, Bluetooth..
You will need to enter your mobile phone password / PIN to authenticate the reset network settings.
To reset the network settings on your iPhone or iPad Settings> General> Reset network settings.. Enter your iPhone passcode and Reset network settings At the prompt to continue.
Note: Resetting the device’s network settings deletes all previously saved Wi-Fi networks and cellular data configurations.
If everything else fails, reinstall WhatsApp
You will need to fix the issue and download the media file again from WhatsApp by following the troubleshooting guide above. But nothing is guaranteed in life.
If none of the above steps work, try removing WhatsApp from your device and then reinstalling it from scratch. This nuclear option should fix the problem when everything else fails.
Don’t forget to back up your messages before uninstalling WhatsApp so you don’t lose important conversations or files.
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