WhatsApp Beta for Android now gives users granular control
to clean up data consuming your phone's storage space. Part of the Storage
Usage menu on WhatsApp, the feature has been around on iPhones since January
this year, and has finally made it to Android, albeit for beta users only. With
this feature, WhatsApp users will be able to see exactly how much data a
group/chat is consuming, and which type of files take up the most storage
space. Moreover, users will be able to delete the data hogging files from the
same interface, which will help them save storage space on the phone.
How WhatsApp Storage
Usage granular controls work
To use this feature on Android, you need to be on the latest
beta - v2.17.340. Head to Settings -> Storage Usage on your Android beta app
and clear all the unwanted space-hoarding files easily. In this menu, WhatsApp
will let you choose message types, such as videos, text, images, GIFs, voice
messages, etc. from specific chats - here you can delete exactly what you want
and keep the rest.
Once you select the chat you want to clear, there will be a
'Manage messages' option at the bottom of the screen. Clicking on it will let
you select the content that you want to delete, for example, you can choose to
delete all GIFs and videos from a specific chat to free up space, or just
delete all the text messages and let the other content remain.
Mind you, this feature is still in beta, and hasn't arrived
on the stable version yet. Sign up for the Android Beta Program or install the
APK Mirror to use the feature right away. With the feature now in beta, it is
likely that it will be released for everyone else soon.
New WhatsApp features
It is among the slew of features WhatsApp has introduced
this year, while some more are rumoured to be on the way. Among the biggest
changes was the debut of the photo/video-based Status, in-app YouTube playback,
two-step verification, text-only statuses in colour, photo bundling, video
streaming, photo filters, night mode in camera, Quick Reply button, Pinned
Chats, live location sharing, and verified profiles for businesses. Integration
with UPI is also expected soon, but the most anticipated WhatsApp feature of
2017 will be the 'Delete for Everyone' option that will let you un-send
messages.
