GERMANY-US-EU-INTERNET-TECH-META
A photo taken on April 3, 2024, shows the messenger of US online social media and social networking service Facebook logo on a smartphone screen in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Meta announced Messenger users can now send HD images, which WhatsApp only recently introduced, by flipping an HD toggle switch in the chat composer UI before hitting Send. 

While Meta's announcement does not go into great detail, selecting this option will lessen the amount of compression performed, but the images will not load in their original resolution.

In an email to The Verge, Liz Sweeney, a representative of the Facebook Messenger communications team, clarified that 4K (or 4,096 x 4,096 pixels per inch) shared photos were previously more compressed, and their appearance was dependent on the network conditions of both the sender and receiver.

According to Sweeney, this will no longer be the case, and users will have a new HD button that enables 4K sharing. 

The pictures will be transmitted in 2K if you do not press the button.

Users of Messenger can also share files up to 100 MB. This is an increase from the previous 25MB limit, which should facilitate the sharing of videos as they will not need to be divided into smaller files first. 

Furthermore, the company claims it is also introducing a new album-sharing feature that enables users to make shared photo and video albums for group conversations, allowing them to gather pictures from things like outings with friends.

According to Meta, anyone in the group can alter the album, including adding and removing photographs. Members of the group can also download songs from the album.

The feature is reportedly "rolling out over the coming weeks," so you might have to move down the list if you do not have it.

Lastly, Messenger users can share their QR codes via a link or scan those of other users to establish a connection. To begin, create a new message thread, select Settings, and then tap the icon with the QR code at the top.