It would be really useful to have more client-side control over media storage. That way, I could better manage storage growth without wiping entire threads.

For example, being able to see all media across chats, sort by file size, and optionally group by conversation would make it much easier to clean things up.

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chimeracoder 7 days ago | parent | next [-]

> It would be really useful to have more client-side control over media storage. That way, I could better manage storage growth without wiping entire threads.

> For example, being able to see all media across chats, sort by file size, and optionally group by conversation would make it much easier to clean things up.

I have good news for you: this already exists.

On Android:

Settings >> Data and Storage >> Manage Storage >> Review Storage

This allows you to view all of your media, files, and audio across all chats, sorted by the amount of storage used. You can also delete those files individually without affecting the rest of the chat.

You can also do the same thing within a conversation.

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mfsch 7 days ago | parent | next [-]

The issue I have with this is that it deletes the whole message, not just the media. In WhatsApp, you can delete media from the images/video folders and the messages remain in the conversation, they even still have the blurry preview iirc. In Signal, you end up with gaps in your history instead.

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georgeck 7 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Thanks, that’s helpful.

I’m also hoping similar media management options are available on iOS and desktop, since I use Signal across devices.

By the way, does Signal treat synced devices (like desktop or a second phone) as “replicas” vs a “primary”? If so, does this affect how storage or message history is handled between them?

Would appreciate any insight from folks familiar with the technical side of this!

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wpollock 7 days ago | parent | prev [-]

On my Samsung: Settings >> Device Care >> Storage

	▲	ThePowerOfFuet 6 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Does that give you per-attachment insight?
	▲	codethief 6 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I think you're talking about Android settings, though, not Signal settings?

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sir_brickalot 7 days ago | parent | prev [-]

To your point: What I am missing with Signal:

Choice to always store media locally on the phone.

What I miss with most messenger apps: Archiving old stuff and offload it to a remote device.

Right now Signal is 8GB in size and doesn't stop growing.