How to send high quality photos by WhatsApp

WhatsApp has become an effective tool for sending photos to friends and family. Usually the procedure includes accessing the camera icon of the chat application, and then choosing the file. The bad news is that the messenger applies a file compression technique that leaves the image lighter but also with lower quality.

The following tutorial teaches you to upload photos through WhatsApp without employing the compression technique. With this, the image reaches the recipient with higher quality and also in a heavier file. The tip is ideal for those who like to keep copies of the original photos on the phone. The procedure is valid for both Android and iPhone ( iOS ).

Step 1. Open WhatsApp and select the contact you want to send an image to. Then click the clip icon in the lower right corner of the screen, and select the "Document" option.

Instead of clicking gallery, we will use the "Document" option.(Photo: Reproduction / Luciana Anselmo)

Step 2. On the next screen, click the "Images" folder in Android or the "Photos" folder on your iPhone, depending on the model of smartphone you're using. Select the image you want to send.

You need to click on the specific folder of your most recent images.(Photo: Reproduction / Luciana Anselmo)

Step 3. Confirm the selected photo by tapping "Send". During upload, you may notice the original size of the displayed image below the file name. In this way, your contact may lower the image in high quality.

After clicking "Send", the upload will be done and you will see the size of the complete file (Photo: Reproduction / Luciana Anselmo)

To test WhatsApp compression, we send the same image the traditional way of the app by tapping the camera icon next to the clip. While the file sent by the "Documents" option retained the original 3.5-megabyte size, the compressed version was only 94 KB.

The difference between sending the photo in the traditional way and as a file is remarkable in the size and detail quality of the image.(Photo: Reproduction / Luciana Anselmo)

On the smartphone screen, it may be difficult to detect the differences between the two versions, but on the computer it is noticeable how compression affects the details of the photo and still leaves a pixelated effect when the image is slightly enlarged.