WhatsApp betas for Android brings updates to video and image quality

Android users of the popular chat app WhatsApp have a couple of updates to look forward to. The updates are currently in beta and have been submitted to the Google Play Beta Program. The app moves to version 2.21.14.6 in the first update submitted earlier this month.

The big change in this version of the update is an option to choose video quality. The update is currently under development and will be rolled out broadly to users in the future. Currently, the feature is unavailable since it's still under development.

The video quality update is something that users of the app have wanted for years and will allow users to choose video quality to use in their uploads. Users will have the option between allowing the app to choose video quality under the Auto mode, or they can choose best quality or data saver modes. Naturally, the data saver mode will result in poorer video quality compared to best quality and provide smaller file sizes that are easier to upload.

Another WhatsApp beta has also been submitted under version 2.21.14.16. This version of WhatsApp offers improvements in image quality and is currently under development. Since it's also in beta, end-users won't see the feature at this time. Like the update for video quality, the photo quality update adds auto, best quality, and data saver options for uploaded photos.

The update will come with the same caveats, and Auto is recommended. Best quality photos will be larger and can take longer to send and download. Data saver images will be smaller and quicker to send but lack quality compared to other settings. There is no clear indication of when these features might exit beta and be available for users on current stable versions of the app.