WhatsApp now allows the download of photos and videos that have been deleted by the user. The novelty is part of the messenger for Android, as long as the smartphone is with version 2.18.106 or later. It works as follows: even after removing an media, the device owner can redownload the content. The move benefits the smartphone's memory cleanup as it maintains the possibility of accessing the content again in the future.
In a test conducted by dnetc, WhatsApp released a download average received about four months ago. Photos and videos deleted before this period send an alert requesting that the user ask for the forwarding to the sender. The new function is not available in the edition of WhatsApp for iPhone (iOS).
WhatsApp lets you download deleted media from your device again Photo: Anna Kellen Bull / Tech
Previously, users lost access to photos and videos received in the app if files were removed from the phone. This made it harder for apps that clean up phone storage, forcing users to lose access to WhatsApp media.
With the change, Android users will be able to empty the memory or manually delete the media folder of the application without worrying about losing access to the content. To work, media recovery requires that the thumbnail of the image or video is still present in the conversation.
Very old media cannot be downloaded again; WhatsApp warns of "download failure" Photo: Reproduo / dnetc
It is not possible to download again if the message is deleted directly in the chat. According to the website WABetaInfo, specializing in information about the application, when an media is removed directly on WhatsApp, the application deletes the file from its servers, preventing recovery.
How to print entire conversations on WhatsApp
The possibility of media recovery confirms that WhatsApp preserves users' files on their servers even after downloading them on their cell phones. The company already maintained the content for 30 days if the user had not yet downloaded it. Now, the term is extended to about four months and is also valid for those who have already downloaded, but deleted the file from the smartphone.
It is worth remembering that copying images and videos on WhatsApp servers does not invalidate end-to-end encryption, which is also working on WhatsApp Business. In this way, data kept for future recovery can only be accessed by whoever is part of the conversation.
With information: WABetaInfo
