Whatsapp: some group chats do not auto-download media, while others do. Why?

[Android Central Question]

Hi Whatsapp devs or anyone with knowledge on the matter:

My global settings are set to auto-download photos on mobile data and wi-fi. I don't want to block all auto-downloads because my 1 to 1 chats with friends generally produce important content.

I do want to stop auto-downloading in certain group chats, but it seems there is no such option available.

However, a few of my group chats just do not auto-download any media at all. Why is this?

I've compared those that do with those that don't, and the only difference i found was, in chats that do not auto-download media, none of the group participants are saved in my Contacts. Is this part of the design of Whatsapp?

Thanks for any and all answers!

 

[B. Diddy]

I moved this to the WhatsApp forum for more specific traffic.