Telegram is one of the most popular messaging app used around the world. It is an alternative to WhatsApp, but with more features and almost unlimited cloud storage. WhatsApp uses phone’s local drive as it’s main storage while telegram uses cloud as its main storage while using your device as a temporary storage.
The app will store recent chats, files and media in temporary storage as cache for faster access and lower internet data usage. Files in cache don’t have to be downloaded from internet every time you check on them. However, cache storage can grow and take a lot of storage in your phone or your device. You can configure telegram to delete recent files after a period.
Here are the main steps to reduce storage in Telegram:
- Prevent Automatic media download
- Reduce “Keep Media” duration to a minimum
- Set “Clear History” timer for unimportant chats
- Clear Telegram Cache
Prevent Automatic media download
If you have a lot of friends on telegram or join many channels or groups, they will send you different files or media without your knowledge. You can turn on a setting to only download media on request to prevent them from downloading automatically.
- Go to telegram app settings
- Look for “Data and Storage” section
- Turn off “Automatic media download” option.
Reduce “Keep Media” duration to a minimum
Telegram will keep media and files as cache (temporary storage) for a certain period to create a better app experience. If the storage is your concern, you can reduce the duration to a minimum of three days. After this time passes, the app will delete the media files from your storage to free storage on your device. As telegram is a cloud service, it only deletes your files on your device and not on the cloud. You can download it anytime as required.
- Go to telegram app settings
- Go to “Data and Storage” section
- Go to “Storage Usage” section
- Lower the “Keep media” option for 3 days
Set “Clear History” timer for unimportant chats
If you are using bots or chatting to people you don’t communicate often, you can delete your messages after a period to save space. You can choose to delete messages for yourself or both parties involved (even without their permission).
- Go to a chat you want to auto delete messages after a duration
- Tap on three dots icon
- Select “Clear History” option
- Set the duration between 24 hours to 1 month
Clear Telegram Cache
After you perform the above mentioned steps, delete the cache to apply your new settings immediately or you can wait for the app for automatic cleanup of the residual files.
Clear your cache from the app:
- Go to Telegram app settings
- Go to “Data and Storage”
- Go to “Storage Usage”
- Tap on “Clear Telegram Cache” option
That’s it. You can also delete Channels and Groups you no longer visit. Hopefully that will allow you to reduce the storage usage by Telegram on your phone.
