Sending videos and photos via the WhatsApp instant messaging platform in their original quality might be about to change, with the Meta-owned company testing a tweak that will allow people to send them as files. The change will mean that people no longer have to send photos and videos via the media picker, with WhatsApp now testing the feature via the TestFlight beta program on the iPhone.
The feature change is currently only available in the WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.3.0.76 update, although it seems likely that it will eventually roll out to everyone who installs the app via the App Store.
The tweak was first reported by the WhatsApp watchers at WABetaInfo with the report noting that the change will allow people to send files and videos in their original quality as if they were any other file. However, they will still be limited to the same 2GB size as other files, which could be an issue for those sharing larger and longer videos.
It's important to note that this change in media sharing has only currently been opened up to a limited number of people within the WhatsApp beta pool, suggesting that the company wants to test it with a smaller group before rolling it out to a larger selection of people. However, we don't see that as any indication that we shouldn't expect the wider WhatsApp user base to be able to take advantage of it in the relatively near future. WhatsApp is normally pretty good at progressing features and changes from beta to shipping product in a timely manner.
