Data Backup Digest

While the current generation of smartphones includes more storage capacity than ever before, consumers are also creating tremendous amounts of data. According to recent statistics, we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every single day – and that number is growing. With figures like this, as well as the increased reliance on smartphones on a day-to-day basis, it's easy to see why consumers are running out of digital storage space.

But there are a number of tricks you can use to optimize your data usage and even reduce the amount of data stored on your smartphone – and it starts by examining the individual apps on your system.

WhatsApp, for example, is a highly popular app as of late. It provides cross-platform mobile messaging with contacts located anywhere in the world – and it's free. Unfortunately, it's also consuming a lot of storage space.

Data and Storage Usage

On iOS, Launch the WhatsApp app and navigate to the software's internal settings. From here, select "Data and Storage Usage" to control the auto-download settings for photos, audio files, videos, and other documents.

Most will be set to "Wi-Fi and Cellular" by default – meaning they'll automatically these files whenever you're connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. For best results, change all of these to "Wi-Fi" or "Never". While the former lets you avoid cellular fees by only using Wi-Fi, the latter ensures that none of these files will download automatically.

The Android version of WhatsApp is very similar. Simply locate the "Media auto-download" section in the "Data and Storage Usage" section. From here, the options are split into three different sections: "When using mobile data," "When connected on Wi-Fi," and "When roaming." Each option can be set to "No media" or "All media." Additionally, access can be set by choosing individual files, for example, "Photos" or "Videos."

Deleting sent messages

Although this feature wasn't always available in WhatsApp, the program now lets you delete sent messages – as long as you utilize the "unsend" feature within seven minutes of sending your message. Not only does it delete the message on your phone, thus freeing up some of your valuable storage space, but it also deletes it from the phone of the intended recipient – thus giving you the chance to correct a mistake or take back a message after you've already hit send.

In addition, WhatsApp also gives user the option to "Clear Chat," "Delete Chat," or "Export Chat." While the first option clears your chat history, it leaves a blank "Chat" tab within your app. The "Delete Chat" option both clears the chat history and removes the tab. If you want to save a chat to a third-party app or service, simply click "Export Chat" before you clear or delete a specific conversation. This lets you archive any important conversations while still minimizing the amount of storage space reserved by WhatsApp.

Making the most of WhatsApp

As you can see, there are several strategies you can use to optimize WhatsApp and minimize its impact on your smartphone's storage capacity. For more information on WhatsApp, please visit their official website at www.whatsapp.com.