WhatsApp Now Lets You Record And Send Video Messages

WhatsApp is adding a new feature that lets you respond with video messages with a single tap right within the chat window. The messaging app already offers the flexibility of sending voice notes, but in order to communicate using a video clip, so far, users first had to record footage using a different camera app on their phone and then send it over as an attachment. Simply put, it was a multi-step pipeline that added needless hassle.

Video messages can be up to 60 seconds in length. In case you're concerned about privacy, these video messages are end-to-end encrypted, just like every other kind of text and media you exchange in a WhatsApp chat. Based on a video shared by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook, it appears that users won't be able to adjust elements like video resolution or frame rate.

The app itself has a default value set for these, and you can only record within a circular camera frame. It is, however, unclear, if the quality is affected based on the speed of your internet connection. For reference, the app applies aggressive compression for sharing videos, and the only way to avoid it is by sending them as a file attachment from within your phone's file manager, and not the gallery app.

In order to respond with a video message, you first have to change the multi-media capture format. To do that, simply tap on the mic button beside the text field in the bottom right corner of the screen in any chat. Doing so will switch the recording format from audio to video. Now, you have two ways to record. You can press and hold on to the video button for the entire duration that you are recording the clip. Alternatively, you can tap and swipe up on the button to lock the video capture for the next 60 seconds. This is ideal for scenarios where you want to keep your phone still for recording stable footage.

Video messages appear within a round preview window and will play automatically in a chat but in muted mode. You will have to tap on it once in order to enable the sound. If you don't like what you've just recorded, you can just swipe left while you're capturing a video, and it will be junked. The new video message feature has already started rolling out to WhatsApp users and will be available in the coming weeks for everyone. It appears to be a phased, server-side rollout at the moment. This is the latest of many long-requested features finally arriving in WhatsApp.