WhatsApp has rolled out a new option that lets users on iPhone share photos and video over the messaging platform in their original quality. Here’s how it works and how to use it.
Previously, WhatsApp users could only send media in high resolution or “HD quality.” But while that is a welcome improvement that addressing the service’s low quality media sharing limitation, it still involves compression. Fortunately, a new feature gets around that.
WhatsApp’s latest feature avoids compression altogether by allowing photos and video to be shared as files, thereby preserving their original quality. WhatsApp says the new option is rolling out “over the coming weeks,” so you may not immediately see it on your device, depending where you are. Here’s how to use it.
- Open an existing chat in WhatsApp or start a new one.
- Tap the + icon, left of the text input field.
- Tap Document ➝ Choose Photo or Video.
- Choose the media that you want to send, then confirm by tapping the blue arrow. Note the 2GB limit on the files that can be sent using the feature.
When the files are sent, previews of the media are not shown in the chat window, but the recipient can tap the files to view them. WhatsApp has also been testing the same feature for Android, although there isn’t any further information about when it will become available.
