WhatsApp Adds Support For HD Photos

WhatsApp is getting an upgrade that will give users the ability to share high definition (HD) photos through the popular messaging app.

The CEO of Meta Platforms, Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the development via his Meta broadcast channel on Instagram, as well as on a post on Facebook.

“Sharing photos on WhatsApp just got an upgrade – now you can send in HD,” Zuckerberg wrote. And it seems that HD videos are also on the cards.

HD photos

Earlier this summer, Wabetainfo.com had first came across the option that was available through the Android beta version of WhatsApp and the TestFlight app on iOS, which hinted that an actual release was close to arriving.

This has now arrived, and the new feature allowing users to send HD photos will be rolled out worldwide over the next few weeks.

There is likely to be some form of compression of the images, due to the nature of smartphones, but it seems the feature will be available for users of Android, iOS, or even web editions of WhatApp.

Recipients on any platform will reportedly see a small icon that indicates a high definition image. Once users get the new feature, they’ll see an “HD” gear icon when adding an image to a message thread.

And Meta has indicated that support for HD videos is coming soon after.

UK concern

Whether WhatsApp will still be operating in the United Kingdom remains to be seen.

Ofcom figures show that WhatsApp is the most popular messaging platform in the UK, used by more than seven in 10 online adults.

In March Will Cathcart, Meta’s head of WhatsApp, during a visit to the UK described the UK government’s Online Safety Bill as the most concerning piece of legislation currently being discussed in the western world, and that WhatApp would refuse to remove end-to-end encryption if it became law.

In April WhatsApp and six other providers of end-to-end encrypted messaging services urged the UK government to “urgently rethink” the Online Safety Bill.

Rival messaging app Signal recently said it could stop providing services in the UK if the bill required it to scan messages.

In the meantime Meta continues to update the popular messaging app.

In June Meta announced a new feature called ‘WhatsApp Channels’, which it said is a “simple, reliable, and private way to receive important updates from people and organisations, right within WhatsApp.”

Essentially WhatsApp Channels allows users to follow certain ‘channels’ that can then ‘broadcast’ content to them (think of it like a Twitter feed). The feature is separate from the usual WhatsApp chats with family, friends, and communities.