WhatsApp is looking to bring more convenience to media sharing by letting users pick the quality of photos and videos they want to send by default. A new toggle in settings has been spotted in the beta version of WhatsApp for Android that lets you set standard or HD quality for media sharing once and then have the app automatically deliver it per your preference. You’ll still have the option to choose the quality while sharing but the new toggle basically prioritises one over the other for those who’d want to choose one default setting and then forget about it.
For the uninitiated, WhatsApp started letting users send HD quality photos and videos starting from August last year. The new feature (spotted by WhatsApp tracker website WABetaInfo) builds on that to give you a toggle within the app’s settings to pick between speed and quality from the get-go rather than doing it on case-to-case basis. It’s a handy tool for those who prefer their media uncompressed or rather, with less compression, to preserve the quality by default. Or, standard quality in case they’re okay with the compression. Obviously sending a file like that not only takes less time, it also takes up less space. Even with the toggle, users will have the option to change the setting while sharing media, the report adds.
The update is said to be part of WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.7.17 and is currently available for beta testers. The possibility of a wider roll-out cannot be ruled out at this point in time.
WhatsApp previously allowed users to send photos in what was called “standard” quality, i.e., 1600 x 1052p. Now, you also get a new “HD” option or toggle when sharing media letting you send higher-resolution (HD) photos to the tune of 4096 x 2692p. It doesn’t mean that your photos and videos will suddenly look more life-like because WhatsApp doesn’t factor in compression but it’s still an improvement over what was going on before.
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