WhatsApp has been testing a feature since April that would allow users to select the quality of photos and videos automatically downloaded on their devices. This feature is now available to some Android users enrolled in the beta program.
According to WABetaInfo, this auto-download quality feature is available to some users having beta version 2.25.18.11 of WhatsApp for Android, and the rollout is expected to expand to more beta users over the coming weeks.
If you are a beta user and have received this feature, you’ll find it under WhatsApp’s Settings > Storage and data menu below the “Media upload quality” option. It’s listed as “Auto-download quality” and offers two download choices – Standard quality and HD quality.
If you select “Standard quality,” WhatsApp will automatically download a compressed version of the media. If you choose “HD quality,” the app will download the high-resolution media version to your device.
However, if you choose the standard quality for auto-download, you will still have the option to view the media in HD manually within the chat later, provided that version is still on WhatsApp’s servers.
Speaking of, WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp has introduced a new system with a dual-upload process when sending high-quality photos and videos. It means that when users send an image or video in HD quality, their devices will automatically generate standard and HD versions of that media for upload.
This dual-upload is required, because due to end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp cannot process the file to compress it on its servers; hence, both the standard and HD versions are uploaded from the sender’s side on WhatsApp’s servers. If the receiver has selected standard quality for auto-download, then the compressed version will be downloaded and decrypted on their device.