WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, allowing users to exchange texts, photos, videos, and other media. One handy feature of WhatsApp is that it allows sending videos that don’t take up storage space on the recipient’s phone.
These WhatsApp videos are not saved to the phone’s camera roll or gallery. Instead, they are viewable within the WhatsApp app for a limited time before expiring. This can be convenient for sharing videos you only want the recipient to see temporarily.
Do WhatsApp videos expire?
Yes, videos sent through WhatsApp automatically expire after a set time period. Once expired, the videos are deleted and can no longer be viewed through WhatsApp.
By default, WhatsApp videos will expire and be deleted after 30 days. However, you can customize the expiration timeframe for videos you send through WhatsApp.
What are the expiration timeframe options?
When sending a video on WhatsApp, you can choose one of five expiration timeframes:
- After opening – Video disappears once opened by recipient
- Within 1 hour – Video expires after 1 hour
- Within 1 day – Video expires after 24 hours
- Within 7 days – Video expires after 7 days
- Within 30 days (default) – Video expires after 30 days
So while 30 days is the default expiration, you can make videos disappear much quicker if desired. The shortest option is having media expire after being opened once by the recipient.
Do recipients get notification of expiring videos?
Yes, when receiving a video that is set to expire, the recipient will get a notification indicating how long until that piece of media disappears. This gives them a heads up that the video won’t be accessible indefinitely.
The notification states “This media will disappear after [timeframe].” The timeframe shown will reflect whatever expiration was chosen by the sender.
If the video expiration is set to “after opening,” the notification will state the media will disappear immediately after the recipient opens it once.
Can you recover expired WhatsApp videos?
Unfortunately, once a WhatsApp video reaches its expiration time, there is no way to recover or retrieve it. The media is automatically deleted from WhatsApp’s servers.
Neither the sender nor recipient can access expired videos again through WhatsApp. The content is gone for good.
Tips to save expiring WhatsApp videos
If you want to keep a video sent via WhatsApp even after it expires, you need to save it before it disappears. Here are some tips:
- Save to your camera roll – Open the video and save it directly to your camera roll or gallery so you have a permanent copy.
- Forward to yourself – Forward the video to yourself on WhatsApp so it gets saved to your own chat.
- Use third-party apps – Some apps will let you download WhatsApp videos to save locally before they expire.
Just be aware that forwarding or saving an expiring video defeats the purpose of the sender applying a shorter expiration. Only use these options if the sender is aware you plan on retaining a longer copy.
Do WhatsApp media expiration options apply to photos?
The custom expiration settings are not limited only to videos. The same options apply to photos sent through WhatsApp as well.
By default, photos will disappear after 30 days. But senders can choose the timeframe options like “after opening” and “within 7 days” to make WhatsApp photos expire faster too.
Can you save expiring WhatsApp photos?
Similar to videos, there are ways to save photos before they expire from WhatsApp:
- Save to gallery
- Forward to yourself
- Use third-party downloader apps
Again, only use these save methods with permission to avoid violating the sender’s privacy.
Do WhatsApp statuses expire?
WhatsApp also has Statuses, which are photos or videos shared to your contacts that expire after 24 hours. These are similar to Stories on other social platforms.
Once posted, your WhatsApp Status will be viewable by your contacts for 24 hours before disappearing. Unlike direct messages, there is no way to customize this 24 hour expiration timeframe.
Can you view expired WhatsApp statuses?
There is no way to retrieve expired WhatsApp Statuses. After the 24 hour period, the photos or videos are deleted.
If you want to keep a WhatsApp Status longer, you need to save it during the 24 hour window using the camera roll or screenshot.
Do WhatsApp delete expiring videos from phones?
WhatsApp’s expiration does not delete videos from the sender’s phone. It only deletes media from WhatsApp’s servers after the timeframe selected.
For the recipient, expiring videos were never saved to the phone’s storage anyway. They are streamed within WhatsApp and not accessible outside the app.
So no files are deleted from either person’s phone storage when media expires on WhatsApp. The videos simply become unavailable for viewing on WhatsApp itself.
Conclusion
WhatsApp added expiring messages and media to give users more control over their privacy. Videos and photos can be set to disappear from WhatsApp itself within timeframes ranging from immediately after opening up to 30 days.
Once WhatsApp media reaches its expiration time, it is permanently deleted with no way to retrieve it. Recipients will get notifications of impending expiration dates. If you want to retain a copy of expiring media, you must save it before it disappears.