Message :where are video and photos sent to me stored before I download them?

[katbel]

On Messages I receive several videos and photos from friends and family, sometime big ones.
If I don't download them, where are those stored?
On the sender computer or apple servers?

 

[bogdanw]

Apple - Legal - Messages & Privacy:
"We designed iMessage to use end-to-end encryption, so there’s no way for Apple to decrypt the content of your conversations when they are in transit between devices. Attachments you send over iMessage (such as photos or videos) are encrypted so that no one but the sender and receiver(s) can access them. These encrypted attachments may be uploaded to Apple. To improve performance, your device may automatically upload attachments to Apple while you are composing an iMessage. If your message isn’t sent, the attachments are deleted from the server after 30 days."
https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/data/en/messages/

 

[katbel]

Apple - Legal - Messages & Privacy:
"We designed iMessage to use end-to-end encryption, so there’s no way for Apple to decrypt the content of your conversations when they are in transit between devices. Attachments you send over iMessage (such as photos or videos) are encrypted so that no one but the sender and receiver(s) can access them. These encrypted attachments may be uploaded to Apple. To improve performance, your device may automatically upload attachments to Apple while you are composing an iMessage. If your message isn’t sent, the attachments are deleted from the server after 30 days."
https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/data/en/messages/

Thanks a lot for your thorough answer! 🥰
If someone is sending me a big video and I don't download but just watch it, it will not fill up my computer or devices space, right?

 

[ChrisA]

Thanks a lot for your thorough answer! 🥰
If someone is sending me a big video and I don't download but just watch it, it will not fill up my computer or devices space, right?

Your device will manage that. Generally by default data on your device that is also present on the iCloud server can be deleted if space is needed, Photos and other apps work the same way. So the video will likely stay on your device until the space is needed.

 

[katbel]

Your device will manage that. Generally by default data on your device that is also present on the iCloud server can be deleted if space is needed, Photos and other apps work the same way. So the video will likely stay on your device until the space is needed.

Even if I didn't download it? BTW I don't use iCloud for photos

 

[ChrisA]

Even if I didn't download it? BTW I don't use iCloud for photos

Are you sure. In order not to use it, you have to turn it to explicitly turn it off.

Apple uses the term "optimize" to mean that data is kept on iCloud and moved to and from you Mac as needed. You can change how this works by doing this:

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu
   
   > System Settings, then click General
   
   in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
2. Click Storage.