Now within the WhatsApp app, users can capture and send instant video communications. The owner of WhatsApp, Meta, wrote on July 27 in a blog post, “We think these will be a fun way to share moments with all the emotion that comes from video, whether it’s telling the good news, laughing at a joke, or wishing someone a happy birthday.”
According to the company, the new component is similar to leaving a voicemail and provides a continual way to respond to conversations.
Sending a video message:
Tap the microphone symbol in the chat window until it turns into a video icon to send a video message. Hold down to start recording a video after that. Swipe up to lock the camera and take a hands-free movie.
How to send a video message:
- Opening the WhatsApp chat with the recipient of the video message will start the video message sending process.
- In the bottom right corner of the screen, tap the microphone symbol.
- The video symbol will replace the microphone icon.
- When you want to record a video message, hold down the video icon.
- To stop recording and send the video message, release the video icon.
Playing a video message:
When opened in a conversation, video messages will automatically start playing on silent. Tap on the video to start the sound.
How to play a video message:
- Tap the video message you want to play in a WhatsApp chat.
- A silent version of the video message will automatically play.
- Tap on the video once more to activate the sound.
Duration of video messages:
- Videos can last up to 60 seconds.
- Any video message you record that is longer than 60 seconds will be automatically divided into multiple portions of 60 seconds by WhatsApp.
Storage for video messages:
- Since video messages are sent as part of WhatsApp chats, there is no need to save them on your phone.
- In contrast, you can save a video message to your phone’s storage by pressing the three dots in the top-right corner of the message and choosing “Save to Camera Roll.”
WhatsApp users on iOS and Android are currently receiving the video messaging capability. You should soon get the functionality if you don’t already have it.
