What you need to know
- WhatsApp is testing a new feature that lets users select the quality of videos before sharing them.
- The upcoming "video upload quality" feature will offer three options: Auto, Best Quality, and Data Saver.
- It isn't clear if WhatsApp plans to revise its file size limit for videos.
You may soon be able to share high-quality videos with your contacts on WhatsApp. WABetaInfo has found evidence of a new "video quality" feature in the latest WhatsApp beta update v2.21.14.6 for Android. As can be seen in the screenshot below, the feature allows you to choose the video quality before you begin uploading it. You'll be able to choose from three options: Auto (recommended), Best Quality, and Data Saver.
As you would expect, the Auto option will automatically choose the video quality based on your data speed. When you select "Best Quality," videos will be larger in size and can take slightly longer to send. The Data Saver option will compress the video to reduce data usage.
The maximum file size allowed for all media on WhatsApp is currently 16MB on the best Android phones. This allows users to send videos up to a maximum of 3 minutes in length. The exact duration can vary from one phone to another, depending on the quality of the video camera. Since the app is now planning to introduce video quality options, it's possible that the limit will be increased. Telegram lets users share videos up to 2GB in size, while Signal has a file size limit of 100MB.
The feature is currently under development, which means you'll have to wait at least a few more weeks to try it out. As is usually the case with new features, it is likely to become available to beta testers first.
Besides "video upload quality," WhatsApp is working on quite a few other features for its mobile app. Earlier this week, it began rolling out "View Once" disappearing messages to beta testers on Android. Multi-device support is also expected to start rolling out in beta within the next few weeks.
