Facebook launched the ability to share 4K photos for Messenger users as early as 2017. Now, Meta has announced that users can share high-definition photos within the app. Confused? So did we, so we asked. The short answer is that here, HD means 4K, and now 4K photos are… more 4K?
Facebook Messenger communications team representative Liz Sweeney clarified in an email edge Photos shared in 4K (specifically, 4,096 x 4,096 pixels per inch) are more compressed before sharing, and their appearance “depends on the network conditions of the sender and recipient.” Now, Sweeney says they won’t be heavily compressed, and users will have a new “HD” button that will enable 4K sharing. If you don’t click the button, the photo will be shared in 2K format.
Messenger also allows users to share files up to 100MB. That’s up from the previous 25MB limit, which should make sharing videos easier since they don’t need to be split into smaller chunks before sending. (For context, the one-minute iPhone video I just shot at 1080p and 60fps in SDR was about 170MB in size.)
The company said it has also added a new album sharing feature that allows users to create shared photo and video albums for group chats so people can collect images of things like group trips. Here are the steps to create and name a photo album in a group chat:
Meta writes that anyone in the group can edit the album, including adding or removing images. Group members can also download items from the album. The company says the feature “will be rolling out in the coming weeks,” so if you don’t have it, you may be further down the queue.
Finally, the company launched QR codes and links for connecting with people. So if you’re out and about and don’t want to add someone’s phone number to your contact list. I don’t know about you, but I look forward to the first person who asks me for a Facebook Messenger QR code. Just kidding, I have a kid. I don’t go anywhere after 7pm.