With over 2 billion users worldwide, Whatsapp is one of the most used social media platforms. Its user-friendly interface, ease of access and affordability contribute vastly to these staggering statistics.
However, some glitches come with the app that sometimes makes it less desirable. Among these are media sent to you not being saved to your gallery. This is not a major defect and is usually a result of a mishap in the settings that can be fixed with ease and in no time.
As shown in this article, however, you will discover that it can be a result of several things. We share these factors and show you how you can fix them.
Contents
1. Glitches and bugs
If you have been viewing your WhatsApp media in your gallery and this suddenly stops, it is attributed to a bug or glitch in the system. Now while there is no definitive way of fixing a bug or glitch, restarting or rebooting your handpiece always does the trick. Rebooting a phone has no specified procedure as it depends on the model.
Remember to close all tabs and open applications before you restart your phone. It is also advisable to keep your handset switched off for a while before powering it up again. If this doesn’t work and you still can’t save Whatsapp media in your gallery, clear your WhatsApp cache by following these simple steps.
- Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone.
- Select ‘Applications’
- Search WhatsApp.
- Go to ‘Storage’
- Clear cache.
Clearing cache won’t delete your Whatsapp media or accounts. All it does is delete files that clog up and whatever is slowing down the system. Make sure to select Clear Cache and not Clear Storage.
2. Media Visibility Setting disabled
This is the commonest cause of Whatsapp media not appearing in your gallery, especially on Android devices. The feature or setting was introduced by WhatsApp to hide downloaded media from users’ galleries. Therefore if you are not seeing your WhatsApp media in your gallery you need to enable this setting. Here’s how;
- Launch WhatsApp.
- Tap on the three-dot icon at the top right.
- Select Settings.
- Select Chats.
- You will see Media visibility or Save to Camera Roll and toggle on the button beside it.
You could want to enable the feature for specific contacts and not all. This happens mostly when you have numerous active groups that crowd your gallery with media you consider irrelevant. To enable media visibility for a specific chat,
- Click on your chat with the specific contact.
- Click on the contact or group name at the top.
- Tap on Media Visibility
- Select Yes or No depending on whether you want to see their media or not.
3. Private Folders
If you restart your phone and enable Media Visibility but your WhatsApp media is still not seen in your gallery, especially on Android devices, it might be in a private folder. Now, this is highly unlikely because private folders are set up by handset owners and not automatically.
What you have to do is locate the folder and copy them into your regular WhatsApp media folder. To locate private folders or Safe, follow these steps.
- Launch File Explorer or File Manager on your phone
- Tap on the WhatsApp folder
- Click on Media
- Tap on WhatsApp Images
- You will see the Private folder, open it.
- Select all the images and move them to the general Whatsapp images folder
4. Storage space
WhatsApp media will not save in your gallery if you do not have enough useable space left. The solution, in this case, is simple, create more space on your phone or maybe, get a phone with more storage. To create more space on your phone, delete unused apps or backup your media and delete it from your phone.
5. Old versions of WhatsApp
Using an older version of WhatsApp can also contribute to your media not appearing in your gallery. To check for updates:
- Open PlayStore or Apple Store.
- Search for WhatsApp and see if there is an option for an update.
That’s it, with the above, I am sure that your WhatsApp errors have been fixed.