In Telegram, the option to automatically save incoming photos and videos might need to be activated manually from the mobile app (not from the desktop one). If you just installed the app on your device, you need to enable this option to ensure that all the pics you receive via chat will automatically show up in your Gallery app. Below we detail the steps for both Telegram for Android and iOS.

Android

Now Telegram should automatically start saving the photos and videos you’ve received directly to your phone’s gallery. If you ever change your mind, you can easily retrace the steps and turn off the feature to ensure images don’t get automatically saved anymore. If you do this, you can still save important pictures manually, while saving precious space on your device.

iOS

On iOS the same option is called “Save Incoming Photos.” This is how you can activate it on your device. Now the media you receive while chatting in Telegram should be automatically saved to your iPhone’s gallery.

2. Grant Storage Permission (Android)

Another thing you want to try is to make sure your Telegram app has storage permission. Depending on what version of Android is running on your phone you might have to grant “Files and media” permission instead. Alternatively, if you’re running Android 11 or 12, you should see the “Files and media” option under “Permissions.” Tap on it and check to see if the “Allow access to media only” feature is on. If it’s not, activate it.

3. Enable the Option to Auto-Download Media

If you’re constantly switching between your Wi-Fi and data, you need to activate the “Enable auto-download media” option to make sure a photo or video doesn’t slip through the cracks while you’re in-between. These instructions apply to both Android and iOS devices.

4. Update the App

If photos and videos aren’t showing up in your gallery it might be due to a bug and so your app needs to be updated. Go to the Google Play Store, search for the app and see if you can spot an “Update” button underneath. If it’s not there and it simply says “Open” then it means that the app is running the latest version that is available for your region. On iOS devices, go to the App Store and update your app from there, if an update is available. If the problem persists, keep your eyes out for updates. The issue appears to be quite common, so if the most recent update doesn’t fix it, the next one might (assuming the problem is not due to the other aspects detailed above).

5. Restart Your Phone

If nothing changes after you’ve updated the app, you could also try restarting your phone just for good measure. Doing this will flush your system’s memory and get rid of any errors that might be causing Telegram not to automatically save your photos to the Gallery app on your phone. To restart your device, simply long press on the power button for a few seconds until a bunch of options pop up on the screen. Select “Restart.”

6. Check Telegram Servers

If you still can’t get the option to function properly, then we suggest that you check Telegram servers, as there might be a problem with the app itself that might cause it to act this way. Simply go to a website like Downdetector and search for Telegram. Check out the Telegram outages report graphic. If it’s going through the roof, then you know you’re not doing anything wrong on your end and you just have to wait until Telegram fixes the issue.

7. Save Photos and Other Media Manually

When all else has failed, the only solution left at your disposal might be to manually save the photos or videos from the app. This is how you can do it on your mobile device.

Android

Now go to your phone’s Gallery, and you should be able to see the picture there. On Android, this option can sometimes malfunction. If you’re having issues seeing your received photos and videos in the Gallery after manually saving them, try updating the app or installing the APK from the official Telegram website.

iOS

Here’s how you can manually save images on iOS. However, in our case this doesn’t appear to work. The solution would be to instead click on any of the images you’ve received and then hit the “Save” icon in the lower right corner of the display. This automatically saves the picture to “Downloads.” If you wish to change the folder where you save the images, simply click on the three-dots (also in the lower right corner) and select “Save as.”