WhatsApp is one of the most common social media platforms in the world as most smartphone users have WhatsApp installed on their device. The data consumed by the app as well as its usage of internal storage has become higher with the introduction of the status feature in the app. This feature results in the downloading of every status viewed either pictures or videos into the internal memory of the device. Similarly the daily message backups to the internal memory can cumulatively end up exceeding a gigabyte or more depending on the volume of chat messages the user has.
With more recent Android OS versions, the option to move the data of some if not most applications to external SDcard has been disabled or become unavailable. Hence data stored by WhatsApp can be a challenge for owners of devices with not so large internal memory.
To help fix this storage dilemma on Android OS, a file manager that supports viewing of hidden files and folders is required. If the native file manager supports this then the process can be commenced otherwise a file manager with the feature has to be installed. Once the appropriate file manager is set up, three(3) folders within the WhatsApp application folder in the internal memory are targeted by this fix
1. .Shared (this folder is ordinarily hidden hence the need for the appropriate file manager)
2. Media (this contains sub folders for documents, voice notes, videos, pictures, audios and statuses)
3. Databases (this is where chat backups are stored)
The .Shared folder usually contains temporary files while can add up to a sizeable amount of storage space which users of low ROM devices cannot afford to spare. All the files in this folder can be highlighted and deleted to reclaim the much needed storage .
For the Media folder, the target sub folder is the . Statuses folder which is also a hidden folder. Statuses (pictures and videos) which the user does not intend to keep can be deleted. For the files the user intends to keep, they can be cut and pasted in a desired folder in the external SDcard.
Lastly for the Databases folder, all but the most recent backups can be deleted. This writer usually leaves the 3 most recent ones and deletes others once the low storage prompt occurs on his device. Half a gigabyte or more of internal storage can be salvaged depending on the size of the message backups.
It is hoped that this little fix will help users experiencing low internal memory prompts due to WhatsApp data storage get rid of the prompt and heave a sigh of relief.
With more recent Android OS versions, the option to move the data of some if not most applications to external SDcard has been disabled or become unavailable. Hence data stored by WhatsApp can be a challenge for owners of devices with not so large internal memory.
To help fix this storage dilemma on Android OS, a file manager that supports viewing of hidden files and folders is required. If the native file manager supports this then the process can be commenced otherwise a file manager with the feature has to be installed. Once the appropriate file manager is set up, three(3) folders within the WhatsApp application folder in the internal memory are targeted by this fix
1. .Shared (this folder is ordinarily hidden hence the need for the appropriate file manager)
2. Media (this contains sub folders for documents, voice notes, videos, pictures, audios and statuses)
3. Databases (this is where chat backups are stored)
The .Shared folder usually contains temporary files while can add up to a sizeable amount of storage space which users of low ROM devices cannot afford to spare. All the files in this folder can be highlighted and deleted to reclaim the much needed storage .
For the Media folder, the target sub folder is the . Statuses folder which is also a hidden folder. Statuses (pictures and videos) which the user does not intend to keep can be deleted. For the files the user intends to keep, they can be cut and pasted in a desired folder in the external SDcard.
Lastly for the Databases folder, all but the most recent backups can be deleted. This writer usually leaves the 3 most recent ones and deletes others once the low storage prompt occurs on his device. Half a gigabyte or more of internal storage can be salvaged depending on the size of the message backups.
It is hoped that this little fix will help users experiencing low internal memory prompts due to WhatsApp data storage get rid of the prompt and heave a sigh of relief.
Comments
Post a Comment