When shared to a conversation or group chat, videos sent with the feature will have a icon at the bottom left next to the timestamp with text indicating that it is ‘HD’. — Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash
Following the addition of high-definition (HD) image sharing last month, WhatsApp is now adding the ability to send videos in HD.
In a video posted to its Facebook page, WhatsApp says that the feature is currently being rolled out.
Functioning similarly to the already introduced HD image feature, users can toggle if a video should be shared in higher quality before it is sent.
After selecting a video clip from the camera roll, users can then choose between "standard quality" and "HD quality" by tapping on the "HD button" at the top.
A filesize will be listed alongside the quality options, so users can check how much space the video will take when sent in standard or HD beforehand.
When shared to a conversation or group chat, videos sent with the feature will have an icon at the bottom left next to the timestamp with text indicating that it is “HD”.
The feature does still apply some compression on video files shared, for instance, in LifestyleTech's testing, a video shot in 1920 x 1080 resolution was compressed down to 1280 x 720 when shared via the messaging app.
For videos shot in ultra-high definition (3840 x 2160), the in-app compression similarly brought it down to 1280 x 720, making that the current quality limit.
As before, those looking to share media without any sort of compression should opt to send them as documents (limited to 2GB filesize) instead.
