WhatsApp is apparently developing a feature which allows to share media files up to 2GB to a select group of beta users. According to a source, the ability to transfer a large media file is being tested on both iOS and Android versions of WhatsApp. Users can currently only send files up to 100MB in size.
The announcement comes only days after WhatsApp for Android beta users were granted the ability to pause and resume voice message recordings.
According to WABetainfo, a website that tracks WhatsApp-related upgrades before they are released to the general public, a few beta users of WhatsApp for Android and WhatsApp for iOS in Argentina are now able to transfer media files up to 2GB in size.
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WhatsApp beta versions 2.22.8.5, 2.22.8.6, and 2.22.8.7 for Android and beta version 22.7.0.76 for iOS are also labeled as compatible updates, according to the report. Because this is a test, the Meta-owned instant messaging app is unlikely to make the feature available to users right now.
If WhatsApp decides to make it available to all of its users, it might become an essential tool. With the ever-improving camera resolutions of today’s smartphones, media files are becoming increasingly large, making it more difficult for users to distribute them across people and platforms. Users will no longer need to rely on other platforms or apps to share huge files using WhatsApp in this manner.
It’s unclear whether WhatsApp users will be able to exchange photographs in their original resolution or not.
WhatsApp reduces media files when they are sent through the app, forcing users to transfer photographs as documents in order to keep the original quality of the material. According to reports, the instant-messaging network has been experimenting presenting previews for media assets transmitted as documents.
For beta testers, WhatsApp for Android now has the option to pause and resume recording voice messages. Originally, the feature was only available on iOS.
