On November 22, several tech bloggers reported that WeChat has officially launched version 8.0.54, introducing a new feature called “Automatic Cleaning of Original Images and Videos After 14 Days.” This functionality is currently being rolled out in a limited beta phase.
As the name implies, enabling this feature allows users to temporarily view and save original images and videos in WeChat for up to 14 days. After this period, the system will automatically delete the original files. However, users will still have access to lower-resolution versions of these images and videos.
Original images in WeChat generally consume nearly seven times the storage space of standard-quality versions. With this feature activated, a 97.4MB video, for instance, will be reduced to approximately 3MB after 14 days, achieving a compression rate of 97%. To enable this feature, users can navigate to Settings > General > Photos, Videos, Files, and Calls within the app.
This feature is currently in beta testing, meaning only a select group of users can access it. In earlier versions of WeChat, older chat images were automatically deleted if the original versions were not manually accessed within a specific timeframe, rendering them unavailable for future viewing. The latest update allows users to toggle the automatic cleanup feature on or off, offering greater control over their file management.
