WhatsApp won’t download or send photos on Android: what to check

Is a photo failing to download, or does a video you’re trying to send keep failing in WhatsApp? If you use Android, first identify which action fails: receiving and downloading, opening a file, or sending it. That helps you check the connection, permissions or SD card without deleting chats as a troubleshooting step.

Test the connection, then retry the same file

If you’re on Wi-Fi, switch to mobile data; if you’re using mobile data, try Wi-Fi. Retry the same download or send. WhatsApp identifies a weak connection as the most common reason for media problems, but that doesn’t establish the cause on your phone.

Its Android media help also recommends restarting your phone and updating WhatsApp and the operating system. Check the file after each change. If the problem persists after these checks, contact your mobile provider.

Check photo and video permissions

1. Open your phone’s Settings.
2. Go to Apps → WhatsApp → Permissions.
3. Open Photos and videos and select Allow.
4. Return to WhatsApp and retry the action that failed.

Labels vary by Android version and phone brand. You may see Files and media or Storage instead of separate permissions. For audio or documents, also check the permission relevant to the file you’re trying to send.

If sending still fails and permission was already enabled

For this case, WhatsApp says to turn permission off and back on, restart the phone, then clear the cache through Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Storage → Clear cache.

Choose Clear cache, without clearing the app’s data or storage. This check applies to sending that still fails with permission enabled; it isn’t a general repair for every file that won’t open.

If your files are on an SD card

Use this branch only if your phone stores media on an SD card. Check that the card has free space and isn’t read-only. If you need to make room, review which files you can preserve elsewhere before deleting anything.

WhatsApp warns that a card with persistent problems could be corrupted. The symptom alone doesn’t establish that: protect your files before considering replacement or formatting.

Check the result

Repeat the original download, open or send action. If you see “This file format is not supported”, the help recommends checking that WhatsApp is up to date.

If the problem continues, keep the exact message, file type and failing action when consulting WhatsApp’s official help. Reinstalling or restoring a chat backup isn’t part of this media diagnosis.