What you need to know
- WhatsApp users can finally share their favorite videos in 720p (HD) format.
- The feature is currently being rolled out for Android and iOS devices.
- The process is similar to what we have seen in HD photo sharing.
WhatsApp recently added the ability to share photos in HD alongside the "standard" quality. While that was a welcome change, the Meta-owned platform is introducing the capability to share videos in HD.
On Friday, the company confirmed the feature rollout to TechCrunch. With this new feature, WhatsApp users can see the benefit of sharing videos in HD, which is in 720p resolution — a significant bump from the previous "standard" set at 480p.
The feature was seen coming since it was earlier introduced in the beta version of the messaging platform in July. The steps to sharing the video in HD are quite similar to the process of sharing photos in HD.
Users would see the new "HD" button after selecting the respective video they want to share with their contacts. The HD button can be found in the edit screen after selecting what media you want to share. Clicking the button would present the user with resolution options.
The default will be the standard 480p version and the new HD 720p version if either is available. Users can select either, and the respective file sizes can be seen before sharing. After sending the HD video, the recipient can also see the video has been shared in HD with the relative "HD" watermark on the video.
Users have to bear in mind that aside from the larger file size (since it is in HD), it also takes up a significant amount of time to share large files, unlike the standard quality that takes less space and faster transfer speeds. Yet, sharing your favorite videos in a higher and crispier format with your friends and family in the widely used respective groups on the platform will be enjoyable.
As Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, mentioned during the HD image-sharing update that the ability to send higher-quality video was also highly requested. It is good to see WhatsApp working on user feedback and rolling out features that have been available in some of the leading messaging platforms already.
TechCrunch notes the feature is already arriving on devices, and some users can already share HD videos. It is rolling out to both Android phones and iOS handsets simultaneously. Lastly, like the photos and videos, HD videos shared are also end-to-end encrypted.
