WhatsApp Begins Testing Sending HD Quality Videos on iOS and Android, Material-You Design for Pop-Up Alerts

WhatsApp is also improving profile icons on group chats on the latest beta version of the app on iOS.

Written by David Delima, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 3 July 2023 17:00 IST

WhatsApp Begins Testing Sending HD Quality Videos on iOS and Android, Material-You Design for Pop-Up Alerts

Photo Credit: Unsplash/ Bolivia Inteligente

WhatsApp is will let users decide when they want to send high-resolution images and video

Highlights

WhatsApp has introduced a new HD video sharing feature for beta testers
The feature is disabled by default and must be manually selected by users
WhatsApp is also updating parts of the interface with Material You design

WhatsApp has begun testing a feature that will allow users to send high-quality videos on the popular messaging platform. The feature has been spotted on the latest beta versions of WhatsApp for iOS and Android, and comes shortly after a similar feature that allowed users to send high quality photos was rolled out to beta testers. The Meta-owned messaging service is also working on Material You-themed alerts on Android while improving how profile images are displayed in group chats on iOS.

After updating to WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.13.0.76 and WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.14.10, users will be able to send high-quality videos, as spotted by feature tracker WABetaInfo. Currently, videos shared on WhatsApp are compressed to optimise network performance, at the cost of reduced video quality. Users will reportedly be given two video quality options to choose from when attaching a video.

According to the feature tracker, users will see an "HD" button in the preview window when sharing a video, and tapping the button will display a pop-up message asking whether the video should be sent in Standard quality or HD quality. The app will also inform users that HD quality is clearer, but standard quality is faster to send and uses less storage on their smartphone.

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WhatsApp's HD video quality setting on Android, iOS and the improved group icons
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

It is also worth noting that like the high-resolution image sharing feature, WhatsApp will automatically default to sending a standard quality video, while users will have to manually select the HD option whenever they wish to send a high-resolution video. Videos and images sent in HD quality are denoted by a small HD icon on the media preview in the chat window.

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Users who are on the beta update channel of WhatsApp for iOS and Android should be able to send HD videos and images after updating to the latest release. However, as with all features that are being tested by the company, there's no word on when they will be available to all users on the stable channel.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also improving how users' profile icons are displayed in groups on iOS. If a user has not set a profile photo, WhatsApp will show their initials instead, making it easier for users to identify participants in large groups. The messaging platform is also rolling out redesigned alerts with rounded corners on the latest Android beta version — these Material You-themed tweaks are expected to roll out to users on the stable update channel in an upcoming update.

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From the Nothing Phone 2 to the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, several new smartphones are expected to make their debeut in July. We discuss all of the most exciting smartphones coming this month and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: WhatsApp, WhatsApp beta, WhatsApp features, WhatsApp media, Material You

David Delima

Email David Delima

As a writer on technology with Gadgets 360, David Delima is interested in open-source technology, cybersecurity, consumer privacy, and loves to read and write about how the Internet works. David can be contacted via email at DavidD@ndtv.com, on Twitter at @DxDavey, and Mastodon at mstdn.social/@delima. More