Send original photos on WhatsApp
WhatsApp compresses a gallery send, including HD. Send as a document to keep the original file, or compress first if you still want the chat preview. Files are deleted within 1 hour.
Sent as a photo
IMG_2048.jpgas a document
Why the chat photo looks worse
You picked the photo from the gallery and hit send. WhatsApp re-encodes it so the chat stays light on a slow connection. The other person sees a smaller, softer JPEG. The app does that on purpose.
The original on the roll is untouched. Only the copy in the thread is crushed. If you needed the file for a printer, an HR portal, or a listing, that chat copy is the wrong one.
HD is still compressed
HD, high quality, or whatever the current toggle is called still goes through WhatsApp's encoder. It looks better than the default. It is not the file on disk. The filename in the chat is also theirs, not IMG_2048.jpg.
If the other person has to print, crop, or upload the photo somewhere else, HD is still the wrong send. You want the original bytes, or a JPEG you compressed on purpose.
Send as a document
Attach as a document, not as a photo from the gallery. The original filename and bytes go through. The other person taps to download. There is often no inline preview. That is the trade.
On iPhone, pick the file from Files, not the Photos picker that sends a chat image. An iPhone HEIC sent as a document can still fail on Android. Convert that one first: iPhone to Android.
- In the chat, attach Document (or File), not Gallery / Camera.
- Pick the photo from Files. Send. The other person downloads IMG_2048.jpg, not a chat preview.
Compress first if you want the preview
A document with no thumbnail is useless in a group that just needs to see the grill. Drop the photo on Compress image, then send that JPEG as a photo. WhatsApp may still re-encode. A smaller file leaves it less to chew, and the chat still shows a picture.
If a portal named a cap, use Compress to 200 KB or Compress to 500 KB. Do not invent a WhatsApp kilobyte target. We do 50, 100, 200, and 500 KB.
- Open Compress image and drop the photo. Up to 10 files, 20 MB each.
- Download the JPEG. Send that file as a photo if you need the chat preview, or as a document if you need the original.
iPhone HEIC in the thread
A gallery send from an iPhone is often already JPEG on the Android side, which is why mixed families think WhatsApp 'just works'. A document send of the .heic does not. Convert with HEIC to JPG before that document, or the other phone shows a blank file.
Opening a HEIC that already landed on Android is HEIC on Android. GPS on a listing is strip GPS.
Questions
Does HD keep the original photo?
No. HD still goes through WhatsApp's encoder. It looks better than the default. It is not the file on disk.
Why is there no preview when I send as a document?
The chat is handing over a file, not an inline photo. The other person downloads it. That is how the original bytes survive.
Will WhatsApp still compress a JPEG I already shrank?
It can, if you send it as a photo. A smaller JPEG leaves it less to crush. Send as a document if you need the exact file.
Can I send an iPhone HEIC as a document?
You can. Android may still show a blank thumbnail. Convert to JPEG first, then send that file.
Can I do several photos?
Yes. Compress image takes up to 10 files, 20 MB each. Send the ZIP contents one by one, or attach the JPEGs as documents.
Do you keep the file?
Original and result are deleted within 1 hour. You can delete them from the download screen.