Already discovered the new function? Finally better picture and video quality via WhatsApp

Pascal Imbach

1.10.2024

Sending pictures via WhatsApp in HD quality is now possible.
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"Send me this somehow else, not via WhatsApp!" This sentence will certainly sound familiar to you. It had to do with the fact that, until recently, WhatsApp compressed photos quite a lot. The popular messenger service has now remedied this.

01.10.2024, 17:55

It's okay for a snapshot: it just doesn't arrive quite as sharp and impressive to the recipient via WhatsApp. But let's be honest: it was quite annoying when really nice photos were so badly compressed by the messenger service when they were sent that they were simply displayed in an inferior, pixelated quality on your contact's smartphone - or in the family group. After all, you want impressive pictures to come across as impressively as possible to viewers. This is now possible - and very easy. In a recent update, WhatsApp added the extremely useful "HD quality" feature to its app.

Here's how it works - step by step:

Send a photo in HD quality

Go to WhatsApp and select the desired chat history (person or group you want to send something to). It's the same process as before.
Click on the "+" icon to add a picture.
Select the desired picture - it will now be displayed, see the picture gallery below.
Now tap on the square at the top with the "HD" symbol.
A small menu will open at the bottom where you can switch from "Standard quality" to "HD quality".
Once you have made this switch, you can tell that the function is active by the "HD" symbol that is now filled in.
You can now send your picture - and it will reach the recipient in beautiful high-definition quality.

Select the "HD" icon at the top, switch from "Standard quality" to "HD quality" and you can send your picture in better quality.
Screenshots iPhone 15 Pro Max (Swisscom/impact)

The same also works when sending videos that you have recorded and want to send.

Here's how it works - step by step:

Send video in HD quality

Same procedure as for photos, but simply select the relevant video.
When it is displayed, you will find the "HD" button at the top right.
Select it, as soon as it is filled in, the function is active and the video will be sent in better high-definition quality.

Also when sending videos: select the "HD" icon at the top and your clip will be sent in better quality.
Screenshots iPhone 15 Pro Max (Swisscom/impact)

So every time you send a picture or video, you can choose whether you want to send the corresponding file in reduced (standard) or better quality (HD), which we recommend. Because remember: not every photo or video snippet really requires high-definition. Especially as this causes more data consumption on your device - and also takes up more of the recipient's memory if he (or she) saves the file on the smartphone.

However, if you still want to define HD as the default quality, you can also set this once in WhatsApp. To do this, go to the "Storage and data" section in the WhatsApp settings and select the desired option under "Media upload quality".

A small note at the end: HD is great - and a big improvement over the compressed file variants you were at the mercy of until the upgrade now available. But: HD is not less - but also not more - than HD. In other words: If you have a device that can generate even better resolutions (such as 4K for video recordings), you won't be able to send them in their full data glory via WhatsApp. At least: As of now. That would be the next step ... Time will tell - (even!) better resolution will come.