WhatsApp introduces 'bulk delete' feature: Here's how to use it and free up space

KARACHI: Whenever a 'free up space' alert pops on the phone, WhatsApp users are often faced with a choice: whether to blindly delete everything or have aching fingers by deleting each message, photo, voice note, and video after checking every one of them.

The WhatsApp messaging service has now realised this major problem and announced that it has made freeing up space easier for their users.

In an update announced late Tuesday, WhatsApp said on Twitter it had "made it easy to review, bulk delete items and free up space".

Interestingly, this new feature was announced after rumours that WhatsApp was working on developing such a tool for quite a while. Now, however, the bulk delete tool has officially been announced.

Step-by-step process

WhatsApp also went on to share a video of how the feature would work for the users, saying it would be found "in Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage".

Here's how to bulk delete items from your WhatsApp records and free up space on your phone:

• Open the WhatsApp application
• Go to Settings
• Go to Manage Storage and Data
• Tap on Manage Storage
• Check out storage taken up by forwarded messages
• Check out storage taken up by files that are larger than 5MB
• Check out storage taken up by chats with each contact

What to do if a 'storage full' notification pops up?

If WhatsApp shows you a 'storage almost full' or 'storage full' alert in the notifications, click on it and you would be led to the Manage Storage and Data section.

The Manage Storage and Data screen lists down which kind of media has taken up how much space.

Does deleted media stay on phone?

Yes, all deleted media stays on your phone unless and until you clear your phone memory as well.

The new feature only helps in cleaning up WhatsApp storage, not the phone storage.

WhatsApp will start rolling out this feature to Android and iOS users.

'A preview of media'

WhatsApp said in a statement: “We now offer easy cleanup suggestions by bucketing both large files and media that has been forwarded many times, sorting files by size in descending order, and providing a way to preview files before deleting them.

"You can also see a preview of media before selecting one or multiple items to delete. The new storage management tools are rolling out to users worldwide this week.

"When available, users can navigate to the new tool by going to Settings > Storage and data > Manage storage,” according to the statement issued by WhatsApp and quoted in India Today.