How to Stop Telegram from Saving Photos and Videos: One of the top WhatsApp alternatives is Telegram. Contrary to WhatsApp, Telegram does not have a 25MB limit on the size of media uploads. Over Telegram chat, up to 2GB of video can be sent. Additionally, Telegram claims to have better group functionality than WhatsApp. Because of these, if you are careless, your gallery may become clogged with Telegram images and videos. Here’s how to prevent it and stop Telegram from saving images and videos on iPhone and Android devices.
Over messaging services like Telegram and Signal, people frequently share media files. With specific auto-download settings in Telegram, you can control which images and videos are downloaded in the background and saved to the device’s storage, preventing unwanted downloads from occurring.
Why You Might Want to Stop Telegram from Saving Photos and Videos
- Privacy: You can maintain your privacy by turning off Telegram’s automatic photo and video saving feature. You can have more control over your personal information and lessen the chance that unsecured third parties will access or accidentally come across sensitive media content by disabling the local storage of media files on your device.
- Storage Space: On your device, photos and videos can consume a lot of storage space. You can free up storage space and keep your device from getting clogged with large media files by telling Telegram not to automatically save these media files.
- Data Usage: Telegram’s automatic media downloads can use up a lot of data, especially if you send and receive media files frequently. You can lower data usage and prevent unforeseen fees or going over your data cap by disabling the saving of photos and videos, especially if you have a limited data plan.
- Control over Media: You can have more control over the media you receive by telling Telegram not to save your images and videos. To keep your device’s storage clean and organized, you can pick and choose which media files to download and keep.
- Offline Access: It’s important to note that you won’t have offline access to media files if you disable Telegram’s ability to save images and videos. To view or download media content, you must have a working internet connection. If you frequently find yourself in circumstances with poor or no internet connectivity, this might be something to take into account.
How to Stop Telegram from Saving Photos and Videos
On Android
- Open Telegram on your Android phone and go to Settings.
- Go to Chat Settings and scroll down.
- Disable ‘Save to Gallery‘.
On iPhone
- Open the Telegram iPhone app.
- Go to Settings.
- Go to Data & Storage > More > Save Incoming Photos.
- Disable Save Photos From Contacts, Other Private Chats, Group Chats, and Channels.
Pros and Cons of Disabling Media Saving in Telegram
Pros
- Enhanced Privacy: By disabling media saving, you can ensure that any media files received or sent through Telegram are not saved locally on your device. This can help protect your privacy and prevent others from accessing or accidentally stumbling upon sensitive media content.
- Save Storage Space: Telegram allows users to send and receive various types of media files, including photos, videos, and documents. Disabling media saving can help save valuable storage space on your device by preventing Telegram from automatically downloading and storing media files.
- Reduced Data Usage: Disabling media saving can also help reduce data usage, especially if you are on a limited mobile data plan. By preventing automatic media downloads, you have more control over the data consumed by Telegram.
Cons
- Limited Offline Access: You won’t have offline access to media files received through Telegram if media saving is disabled. To view or download media content, you must have a working internet connection.
- Inconvenience for Quick Access: If you disable media saving, Telegram’s media files won’t be available right away. Every time you wanted to view the media, you would have to either manually request it or wait for it to load.
- Missed Opportunities: Disabling media saving may prevent you from accessing media files in the future, particularly if they are deleted from the chat or if you are unable to download them before they expire.
FAQs
If you go to “Settings -> Advanced,” you should be able to find the “Automatic media download” option which is enabled by default in private chats, groups, and channels. So technically, Telegram desktop should save images you’ve received to the “Downloads” folder.
Go to the conversation in which you want to share hidden media. Tap on the Attach button available in the bottom left corner. Select the media you want to share with a spoiler effect. Tap on the three-dot menu button and select the Hide with spoiler effect option.
