Although WhatsApp is one of the most widely usedmessaging appsin the world, it hasn’t been the quickest to provide new features. For instance, the ability to send media in HD quality was absent from the app until August last year, withhigh-resolution image-sharingsupport arriving first, followed by HD videojust days later. However, WhatsApp doesn’t let users send HD images or videos by default; instead, it requires them to tap the HD icon in the image editor and change the quality each time. But that could be changing soon, according to the latest WhatsApp beta release for Android.
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WhatsApp is a primary form of communication for a third of the people around the world
WhatsApp betaversion 2.24.5.6includes a new option within the storage settings of the app that lets you change the default media upload quality, as discovered byWABetaInfo. Currently, navigating toSettings>Storage and dataon WhatsApp for Android has a few options in place, such asManage storage, a network usage indicator, a toggle to use less data for calls, and proxy settings. This is followed by a Media auto-download section.
But this new beta update contains another dedicated section below calledMedia quality,enabling users to change the media upload quality for each new image. By default, the quality is set to standard, which has the benefit of saving storage space. However, if storage is no concern, and you want to send every photo and video in HD quality, this option will save you the trouble of tapping the HD icon each time on the media editor screen. Expectedly, WhatsApp will revert to the option you’ve chosen in theStorage and datasettings even if the quality was manually changed for a previous image/video.
The Standard and HD options in the image editor
There’s also additional text explaining the differences between Standard quality and HD quality, which isn’t very descriptive in its current form (pictured above). By contrast, the new WhatsApp beta explains the storage space taken by HD and standard media while also laying out the benefits of both options.
I couldn’t find this particularoption within WhatsApp beta, which shouldn’t be surprising since WABetaInfo claims it’s still under development and not fully ready for beta testing just yet. We expect this feature to make the final cut, though, considering how it would save users from a couple of extra taps, especially if they send a lot of high-res imagery or HD videos to their contacts.
