Images and media from WhatsApp are not downloading? Here’s Why It Happened and How to Fix It

Do you have problems downloading media (photos and videos) from WhatsApp on Android or iOS? Have you tried and failed to preserve any memes or humorous movies that your pals gave you on WhatsApp? Fortunately, this should be a simple remedy.
In this post, we’ll walk you through the steps to resolve your WhatsApp media not downloading issue. And ideally, at the conclusion of this tutorial, you’ll be able to easily download media from WhatsApp…
1. Check Your Internet Connection
If you’re experiencing trouble utilizing an app that needs the internet, make sure your internet or mobile data connection is operating properly. This might be the cause of your WhatsApp photos failing to download.
Test other apps on your phone to see if they can connect to the internet. You may also use your favourite browser to access a website.
Check your internet connection if other applications are experiencing similar connectivity issues.
Fix Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues
Begin by turning off and then back on your Wi-Fi router. If the connectivity problem persists after restarting the router, see our guide on how to fix slow Wi-Fi connections.
Fix Cellular Data Issues
Turn off your cellular (or mobile) data and then turn it back on. If that doesn’t work, switch to regular mode and then back to airplane mode. You should also ensure that your internet plan is active and that you haven’t reached your data limit.
If you are still unable to download media files on WhatsApp despite having a data plan, try increasing the speed of your mobile data connection.
2. Check Your Device Storage
If photos and videos are not downloading on WhatsApp, proceed to the next step. 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.
If you can’t download WhatsApp images and don’t have enough storage space, this is a no-brainer. If you try to download a 50MB video but only have 40MB of free storage space on your device, WhatsApp will refuse to complete the download.
Launch the File Manager app on your Android device to see how much free storage space it has. Alternatively, you could go to Settings > About phone (this will vary by device) or search for storage in the Settings app’s search bar.
Ideally, your phone’s storage should be large enough to hold the media file you want to download. If your Android phone’s storage is running low, there are several ways to free up space and make room for WhatsApp media.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage/iPad Storage to see how much storage you’ve used and how much is still available.
If you’re running out of storage space on your iPhone or iPad, our guide on how to make free space on iOS should come in handy.
If WhatsApp is not downloading media files, you should perform another important storage-related check (or any other app, really). When you try to save media files and WhatsApp does not have access to your phone’s storage or photos, you will receive an error message. You must grant WhatsApp storage permissions in this case.
How to Grant WhatsApp Storage Permissions on Android
Follow these steps to grant WhatsApp access to your storage. Keep in mind, however, that the procedure will differ depending on your device.
Click Allow after going to Settings > Apps > Manage apps > WhatsApp > App permissions > Storage.
How to Grant WhatsApp Permissions to Access Photos on iOS
Select Privacy from the Settings app. Next, go to Photos, then WhatsApp from the list of apps, and make sure All Photos is checked.
4. Force Close WhatsApp
When an app becomes stuck or some of its features fail to function properly, force-closing the app is an effective way to resolve issues that are causing the app to malfunction.
To force-close apps on your smartphone, follow the steps below…
How to Force Close WhatsApp on Android
Navigate to your phone’s Settings and select Apps > Manage apps. Then, from the list of installed applications, select WhatsApp. Finally, tap the Force Stop icon and choose OK when prompted. This procedure may differ slightly depending on your Android smartphone.
How to Force Close WhatsApp on iOS
Double-click the physical Home button (for iPhone 8 or earlier and iPhone SE 2020) or swipe up from the bottom of your device’s screen and let go when the app preview cards appear. Swipe up to close the WhatsApp preview.
Relaunch WhatsApp and see if you can download media files this time.
5. Restart Your Phone
Power-cycling your phone can also assist in resolving minor software issues, such as WhatsApp failing to download media. Shut down your device and restart it to see if you can save photos and videos on WhatsApp again.
6. Check Whether WhatsApp Is Down
Sometimes it’s not your fault that WhatsApp media isn’t downloading on your phone. The issue could be with WhatsApp. Certain app features and functionalities may not work if the company’s servers are down.
You can rely on third-party platforms such as DownDetector or Outage. Report any potential issues with WhatsApp servers. Alternatively, you can use WhatsApp Web on your PC to quickly determine whether the issue is device- or server-related.
7. Update WhatsApp to the Current Version
Another thing to double-check is that your device is running the most recent version of WhatsApp. Older versions of the app may contain bugs that cause certain features, such as WhatsApp photos and videos, to fail. Bug fixes are included in new versions, restoring the app to normalcy. To update WhatsApp on your device, click the link below.
Download: WhatsApp for Android | iOS (Free)
8. Enable “Save to Camera Roll” (for iPhone)
If you notice that photos and videos sent via WhatsApp are no longer automatically saved to your iPhone, make sure Save to Camera Roll is turned on.
Toggle the Save to Camera Roll option in WhatsApp’s Settings > Chats.
You can also set WhatsApp to automatically save media files from individual or group messages. Simply launch the chat and navigate to the contact/group information page. Choose Save to Camera Roll and Always from the options.
9. Check Your Phone’s Date and Time
If the date or time displayed on your phone does not correspond to your time zone, you will be unable to connect to WhatsApp’s servers, making it difficult to download images and other media to your device. Setting your date and time settings to Automatic is the best way to resolve this issue.
Fortunately, whether you have an Android or an iOS device, the process is very similar. You can do this on Android by going to Settings > System > Date & time. iOS users, on the other hand, can find these options under System > General > Date & Time.
10. Reset Your Network Settings
If the problem persists after you’ve tried all of the solutions listed above, try resetting your device’s network settings, especially if you’re having trouble connecting to Wi-Fi or cellular data.
All previously saved Wi-Fi networks and cellular data configurations will be deleted if you reset your device’s network settings.
Go to Settings > Connection & sharing > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile networks, and Bluetooth if you’re using an Android device.
If you have a Pixel, open Settings, navigate to System > Advanced > Reset options, and then select Reset Wi-Fi, mobile, and Bluetooth. Keep in mind that the steps for different Android devices will differ.
You’ll be prompted to enter your phone’s password or PIN to confirm the network settings reset.
To reset your iPhone or iPad’s network settings, go to Settings > General > Reset Network Settings. To proceed, enter your iPhone’s passcode and click Reset Network Settings on the prompt.
11. If All Else Fails, Reinstall WhatsApp
By following the troubleshooting steps outlined above, you should have resolved the issue and be able to download media files from WhatsApp once more. However, nothing in life is certain.
If none of the preceding methods work, try deleting WhatsApp from your device and reinstalling it from scratch. When all else fails, this nuclear option should solve the problem.
Just make a backup of your messages before uninstalling WhatsApp to avoid losing important conversations or files.
As you can see, there could be a number of reasons why WhatsApp is unable to download images to your device. Going through all of these troubleshooting steps one by one will assist you in locating the culprit and resolving the issue.
Furthermore, the points we discussed here can help you avoid a similar situation in the future. Hopefully, these solutions will resolve your issue and allow you to download WhatsApp media to your phone without further difficulty.
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