Although it seems practical, this WhatsApp function activated by default exposes you to several dangers. It’s in your best interest to deactivate it to protect your device and your personal data.
WhatsApp has become practically essential in the daily life of millions of users. With its varied features, the app allows you to easily send messages, share photos and videos, and even make video calls video around the world, all for free. It’s very simple, it is so practical and easy to use that some use it for all their communications, to call, send texts and leave voice messages, instead of conventional apps!
However, behind its friendly appearance hides a potentially risky function:. The automatic download of the media on the device. Although practical at first glance – everything is automatically registered, images and sounds, without user intervention – it has two drawbacks: the contents it records occupies a significant place in the storage of the device; And, above all, she has attacks of cybercriminals, pirates and crooks of all kinds. And the problem is that it is automatically activated, as soon as the application is installed, without the users really aware of it.
Automatic media download consists of saving on the phone all photos, videos or files received via WhatsApp. Each image sent by your contacts is found in the gallery of your phone without you having to download it manually. If it seems trivial, this mechanism has risks. IT pirates can send malicious files which, once stored on your device, can access your personal information, such as your passwords or bank data.
This type of attack, known as phishing or scam by malware, is based on the fact that users do not always be wary of what they receive. A file disguised as a harmless photo or video can actually contain a virus. Once on the phone, it can steal sensitive information or even allow crooks to take control of certain aspects of the aircraft, such as carrying out bank transactions or usurping the identity of the victim.
To avoid any risk of hacking, scam or theft of sensitive data, it is recommended to deactivate automatic download of the media. The procedure is simple, it only takes a few seconds. In WhatsApp, press The three small points To unroll the main menu of the app, then scroll the screen to the section Storage and data. In the screen that appears, go to the section Automatic media download. Then open each of the three connections proposed (Using mobile data,, In Wi-Fi connection And Roaming) and choose for each the type of data you want to register automatically by checking or unchecking the associated box (Photos,, Audio,, Videos And Documents). We advise you to deactivate everything: you will always be able to manually save the desired content on a case -by -case basis in your conversations. And protect your device from any intrusion attempt.
In addition to this precaution, it is also advisable to activate the verification in two steps to strengthen the security of your account. This adds an additional layer of protection by requesting a PIN code with each connection from a new device, making it more difficult to access your information by unauthorized third parties.