WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to send messages, photos, videos, documents and make voice and video calls. WhatsApp also gives you the ability to send audio recordings to your contacts. This can be useful for quickly conveying information, but over time your WhatsApp can fill up with audio recordings that you no longer need. Luckily, WhatsApp makes it easy to delete audio recordings to free up space.
Why Would You Want to Delete WhatsApp Audio Recordings?
Here are some common reasons you may want to delete WhatsApp audio recordings:
– Free up storage space – Audio recordings can take up a surprising amount of storage space on your phone. Deleting old recordings you no longer need can free up room for more important media and files.
– Remove sensitive/private information – You may have sent an audio recording containing private or sensitive information that you no longer want stored on your device or in WhatsApp’s servers. Deleting it helps protect your privacy.
– Declutter your chats – Lots of old audio messages can make chat history messy and hard to navigate. Deleting old recordings helps keep your chats organized.
– Correct mistakes – Sometimes an audio recording has mistakes, poor sound quality or contains information you later realize is incorrect. Deleting it can help avoid confusion.
How to Delete WhatsApp Audio Recordings
Deleting WhatsApp audio recordings is quick and straightforward. Here are the steps:
1. Open the WhatsApp app and go to the chat containing the audio recording you want to delete.
2. Tap and hold the audio message you want to delete. This will highlight it.
3. Tap the trash can icon that appears.
4. Confirm that you want to delete the recording by tapping “Delete” in the pop-up prompt.
The audio recording will be immediately removed from the chat. Repeat these steps to delete multiple audio recordings.
Delete WhatsApp Audio Recordings on iPhone
The process is very similar on iPhones:
1. Open WhatsApp and go to the chat with the audio you want to delete.
2. Swipe left on the audio recording.
3. Tap the red “Delete” button that pops up.
4. Confirm deletion.
The audio will be deleted right away.
Delete Audio Messages for All Participants
By default, when you delete an audio recording, it is only removed from your own device and chat history. The recording still exists in the chat history for other participants.
If you need to delete an audio recording for all participants, here’s how:
1. Long press the audio recording and tap “Delete for me”.
2. Now tap “Delete for everyone”.
3. Confirm deletion in the prompt.
The audio recording will be removed from the chat for all participants, not just you. Use this option cautiously for privacy.
Delete Multiple WhatsApp Audio Files at Once
Rather than deleting recordings one by one, you can delete multiple audio files simultaneously:
1. Open the WhatsApp chat.
2. Tap and hold the first audio recording you want to delete. Don’t lift your finger.
3. Use your other hand to tap and hold the next audio files you want to delete, highlighting them.
4. Let go once all desired audio files are selected. The trash icon will appear.
5. Tap the trash can to delete all highlighted recordings.
This allows you to quickly mass delete multiple audio messages in the same chat.
How to Delete WhatsApp Audio Recordings from Phone Storage
In addition to removing audio recordings from chats, you can delete the actual audio files from your phone’s storage:
1. Open your phone’s Files/File Manager app.
2. Navigate to the WhatsApp Media folder. The path is typically Internal Storage > WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Audio.
3. Select the audio files you want to delete.
4. Delete the files. They will be removed from your phone’s storage.
Even after deleting here, the audio recording may still show in your WhatsApp chats until you also remove it from the chat itself. So be sure to delete from both locations.
Find Large WhatsApp Audio Files
If low storage space is your goal, you may want to focus on deleting large audio recordings taking up the most space. Here’s how to find big files on Android:
1. Go to WhatsApp > Settings > Data and Storage Usage.
2. Tap Storage Usage.
3. Tap Audio to view your largest audio files at the top.
And on iPhone:
1. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
2. Scroll down and tap WhatsApp.
3. Check the size of the Audio documents.
Now you can select the largest files to delete from your phone storage and free up the most space.
What Happens When You Delete a WhatsApp Audio Recording?
When you delete a WhatsApp audio recording, here is what happens:
– It is removed from your chat history and can no longer be played or downloaded from WhatsApp.
– If deleted just “for you”, the audio will still appear in the chat history for other participants.
– If deleted “for everyone”, it is removed from the chat on all devices.
– The audio file is not actually deleted from your phone’s internal storage. You need to manually delete it from your phone’s files/gallery.
– The audio recording may still be stored in WhatsApp’s server backups until the backup is overwritten.
So be aware that deleting an audio from WhatsApp does not permanently erase it from your device or WhatsApp’s servers immediately. For full privacy, also delete locally stored files.
Tips for Managing WhatsApp Audio Recordings
Here are some useful tips for keeping your WhatsApp audio recordings organized and under control:
– Delete recordings once they are no longer needed. Don’t let old audio messages clutter up chats.
– Use the mass select and delete option to remove multiple recordings quickly.
– Remember to delete locally stored audio files as well as chat messages.
– Backup important recordings you want to keep before deleting.
– Turn off auto-download to avoid keeping copies of audio files on your device storage.
– Set chats to auto-delete older messages after a period of time.
– Use audio messages mindfully and avoid sending recordings that contain private, unneeded, or incorrect information.
Conclusion
WhatsApp makes it easy to delete audio recordings you no longer want clogging up your chats or taking up phone storage. Simply long press the audio, tap delete, and confirm. For full removal, also go into your phone’s files to delete the locally saved audio files. Be mindful of what audio recordings you send and delete old ones promptly to keep WhatsApp running smoothly. With these tips, you can effectively manage and delete WhatsApp audio files.