Finally better images: WhatsApp now sends images in HD quality

Higher image quality now without the detours

Previously, users had to use a trick to disguise images as documents and thus send them to their WhatsApp contacts without any quality loss. Now the Meta subsidiary has solved the same long-standing problem. A new HD option for sending photos is now available.

Sending images in HD quality has been tested for several months within the WhatsApp beta (we reported it) and now it is also reaching the average consumer. While selecting an image, a new HD button can be used to select the highest quality level, allowing image sizes between 9 and 16 megapixels.

New HD button for higher image quality
Tag HD photos in the chat

High resolution images are not (yet) the standard

The default setting for sending photos is still Standard Quality. WhatsApp notes that standard photos take up less storage space and can be sent faster. So users have to select HD quality for each image. Despite the higher resolution and quality, images are still compressed, although the quality loss is noticeably less at 4K and higher. In addition, the quality of the recipient’s reception determines the final offer. If the network is weak, the image will first be displayed in standard quality and later downloaded in high definition.

Currently the new functionality of sending HD quality images via WhatsApp is rolling out to all users around the world. Despite talk of distribution in waves, the new option seems to be spreading quickly. We can already send pictures in high resolution. According to WhatsApp, HD videos will follow soon.

Good to know: So far, we’ve seen the switch to higher quality images in both the current versions of WhatsApp for Google Android and Apple iOS, as well as WhatsApp Web (in the browser). The app available in the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 and Windows 11 does not appear to have received the update yet.

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