iPhone XS Hi all, need some clarification on videos sent via iMessage over AT&T vs. WiFi

[Low country]

Hi all,

I'll try to explain this as clear and concise as possible....

I have an XS. Today I was sending some videos via iMessage to another iPhone using iMessage, both of us were on our carriers, not WiFi (me AT&T, her VZW). On my end the 20-30 second videos were stunning and in the bubbles sent were large and clear, what she received was a tiny thumbnail and when she played them they were essentially unwatchable blurry pixelated crap.

As a test, I had her send me a video and what I received was a tiny blurry thumbnail video, even worse when I enlarged the video to watch it. But...on her end they were full size beautiful videos.

As a final test, I drove home and got on my WiFi and sent her one of the original videos I had sent earlier that arrived to her as a thumbnail, it sent to her via WiFi this time full size in full resolution, she was still on VZW and not on WiFi, only I was on WiFi.

My iPhone XS video settings are: 1080P at 60 fps and "Most Compatible"

So fellow Macrumorers....

1. Is this normal?
2. I was ALWAYS under the impression that regardless of our data connection (WiFi or Carrier Data) that iMessage always sent videos in full unadulterated non compressed large original format....

Thanks so much

 

[F23]

iMessage always compresses video. you see the full quality of your own video on your end bc it's playing the native file from the phone. upload to google photos & send them the link to the video that way for full quality. pictures are the only thing that iMessage doesn't compress.

 

[now i see it]

The above comment is correct. iMessage will compress and shrink down native videos AND panoramas.
But it's for a good reason. 1080p videos are huge in file size and are not suitable to send via text messaging.

You can work around the problem by either following the suggestion above (upload to another server and provide a link) or compress them down to 720p yourself and keep them under 30 seconds.

Here's a compression app that works pretty well. I run every video through it at either 720p or sometimes 540p before sending it via iMessage.
The end result looks much better than what iMessage does to it.

Video Compress - Shrink Vids by Martin Brachmann
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/video-compress-shrink-vids/id997699744?mt=8

 

[Low country]

Hi all,
So I assume you mean iMessage compresses the videos when sent using a carriers data network and not WiFi? Because when I send the same videos and I am on WiFi the recipient gets my videos in full 1080P, not compressed.