Twitter now allows Android and iOS users to upload and view 4K images on the Twitter app. The social media platform had previously rolled out support for 4K images on the web app, which allowed users to share images in high resolution. The feature was not supported on smartphone apps until now and the resolution was previously limited to 2048 x 2048.
Now, with support for 4K images on smartphones, Twitter users have the flexibility to upload 4K images from wherever they are located using the app. However, users will first have to change their preferences to support 4K images. Here is how to do that.
How to enable 4K images in Twitter
Users can head over to the Twitter app settings to update their high-quality image preferences. There is an option to update your image preferences under the “Data usage” settings, to start uploading and viewing images in 4K.
You can choose how high-resolution images and videos are uploaded and viewed on your device. The options include cellular or Wi-Fi, Only on Wi-Fi, or Never.
Twitter had started testing 4K image viewing and uploading on mobile devices in March along with another feature that improves how images are cropped on the platform. The improved image cropping has not yet rolled out for all users and the company has not confirmed when the testing for the feature will be completed.
“With this test, we hope to learn if this new approach is better and what changes we need to make to provide a ‘what you see is what you get’ experience for twitters with images,” Twitter’s design chief Dantley Davis said last month while commenting on the improved cropping feature.
Having the best possible image quality is always a big advantage for those who upload and consume media on the app regularly. For photographers, especially those who are always on the go, the feature will help them connect and share the best photos with their followers, even during a shoot.
Artists can also share the best resolution for their illustrations on the platform. Even for casual users, it will help promote Twitter as a better platform for sharing photos than before. Everyone, meanwhile, can now enjoy viewing the content of others in much better quality.
However, there are also a few reasons to keep the feature either limited to Wi-Fi or off entirely. For one, 4K media takes a bigger toll on a phone’s data usage, regardless of whether it’s downloading or uploading the photo.
With Twitter making videos accessible as well, data use can quickly accumulate. Finally, some artists might not prefer to share high-resolution versions of their artworks on social media. The platform’s image compression can help these artists keep their full-resolution images on their own websites or premium subscription platforms.
