WhatsApp Starts Testing HD Video Sending on iOS and Android, Material-You Design for Pop-Up Notifications

WhatsApp has began testing a feature that will allow users to share high-quality movies using the popular messaging app. The function was discovered in the most recent beta versions of WhatsApp for iOS and Android, and it comes only a few weeks after a similar feature that allowed users to exchange high-quality photographs was made available to beta testers. The messaging service, which is owned by Meta, is also working on Material You-themed notifications for Android and enhancing how profile photographs are shown in group conversations on iOS.

Users will be able to share high-quality videos after updating to WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.13.0.76 and WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.14.10, according to feature tracker WABetaInfo. Videos shared on WhatsApp are now compressed to improve network efficiency at the expense of video quality. When adding a video, users will supposedly be offered two video quality options to pick from.

When sharing a video, users will notice a "HD" button in the preview window, and hitting the button will display a pop-up message asking whether the video should be delivered in Standard or HD quality. The software will also notify users that while HD quality is sharper, standard quality is faster to share and takes up less storage space on their smartphone.

It's also worth mentioning that, similar to the high-resolution image sharing tool, WhatsApp will automatically send a standard-quality video by default, with users having to actively pick the HD option if they want to send a high-resolution video. Videos and photos submitted in HD resolution are indicated by a little HD symbol in the chat window's media preview.

After upgrading to the current release, WhatsApp users on the beta update channel for iOS and Android should be able to transmit HD movies and pictures. However, like with other company-tested features, there is no information on when they will be available to all users on the stable channel.  

Meanwhile, WhatsApp is enhancing the way users' profile icons appear in groups on iOS. If a person does not have a profile photo, WhatsApp will display their initials instead, making it simpler to identify members in big groups. On the current Android beta version, the messaging platform is also rolling out revised notifications with rounded edges; similar Material You-themed modifications are scheduled to go out to users on the stable update channel in an upcoming release.