In a new update, WhatsApp is allowing users to send photos and videos to one another in their original quality, but there’s a catch.
According to WABetaInfo, the cap on images and videos is 2GB so it will still compress files over that size. This new feature is part of an update that’s available from the App Store as version 23.24.73. By tapping '+' within a chat, then going to Document > Choose Photo or Video and selecting one or more media files, you’ll be able to send these in their original format.
In the past, WhatsApp would compress your photos and videos to speed up the time it would take for a user to receive them. With 5G speeds now commonly available, especially on iPhone 12 and above, this approach now feels irrelevant.
There’s no word yet though on whether this feature will be available on WhatsApp Web, or the macOS version — but it’s at least a start in not having to worry about how low-quality your photos and videos may look like when sending them from your iPhone.
Sending 4K videos over WhatsApp is finally possible — iMore’s take
This may not surprise you, but when you have a photogenic dog and a newborn son, like I do, there’s a certain demand from friends and family to see what they’re currently up to. This means sharing a bunch of photos and videos almost daily — so my usage of WhatsApp has skyrocketed for most of this year.
Yet the compression in photos has been a constant issue for me, as some have endlessly complained to me about how low-quality they’ve looked. I’ll send some as an email, or as an iCloud Drive link for an alternative, just so they can have them printed and framed. Now though, there’ll be no more complaints. Thanks to this update, I’ll be able to send photos of the dog next to our Christmas tree in full 48MP glory with my iPhone 15 Pro Max.
