WhatsApp, the popular messaging app owned by Facebook, has finally introduced a feature that allows users to send photos and videos in full quality without compression. The feature, called “HD quality”, is available for both iPhone and Android users and can be accessed from the app’s data and storage settings.
WhatsApp has been compressing media files by default to facilitate faster sharing and storing without occupying too much of your system resources. However, this also means that the quality of the photos and videos sent via the app is significantly reduced, especially for high-resolution or 4K content.
Many users have complained about this issue and have resorted to various workarounds to send media files in original quality, such as sending them as documents, creating zip files, using WhatsApp Web, or using cloud services like Google Drive or WeTransfer.
How to send photos and videos in HD quality on WhatsApp
The new feature, which was first spotted by WABetaInfo in the beta version of WhatsApp, gives users three options to choose from when sending photos and videos:
- Auto (recommended): WhatsApp will detect what is the best compression algorithm for specific media files.
- Best quality: WhatsApp will always send the media files using the best quality available.
- Data saver: When Data saver is enabled in your Android settings, WhatsApp will compress media files before sending them.
To enable the HD quality feature, users need to go to the app’s settings, tap on “Storage and data”, and then select the preferred option under “Media upload quality”. The feature is currently rolling out to all users, so if you don’t see it yet, make sure you have updated your app to the latest version.
What are the benefits and limitations of the HD quality feature
The HD quality feature is a welcome addition for WhatsApp users who want to share their photos and videos without compromising on quality. This can be useful for professional photographers, videographers, or anyone who wants to preserve the original details and colors of their media files.
However, there are also some limitations and drawbacks of the feature. For one, sending media files in HD quality will consume more data and storage space, which can be an issue for users with limited plans or devices. Moreover, WhatsApp still imposes a file size limit of 16 MB for photos and videos, which means that very large or long media files will still be trimmed or split before sending.
Therefore, users should be mindful of these factors and choose the appropriate option depending on their needs and preferences. Alternatively, they can still use the other methods mentioned above to send media files in full resolution without any compression or limitation.