WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows users to send messages, photos, videos, documents, voice messages, and more to individuals or groups. Two common features on WhatsApp are ‘Media’ and ‘Docs’, which allow users to share various media files and documents.
Media on WhatsApp
The ‘Media’ section on WhatsApp refers to any photo, video, GIF, or audio file that a user sends or receives. When you send or receive one of these file types in WhatsApp, it will appear in the ‘Media’ section of the chat. This section acts as a gallery for all the media files exchanged between you and your contacts.
Some examples of media you might see in WhatsApp include:
- Photos – Any images sent as photos or screenshots
- Videos – Video files sent as attachments
- GIFs – Short animated clips sent as GIF files
- Audio – Audio messages or music files sent as attachments
To view your media on WhatsApp:
- Open the WhatsApp chat with the contact you exchanged media with
- Tap on the contact’s name at the top of the screen
- Tap ‘Media’ right below the name
This will open up all the photos, videos, GIFs, and audio sent between you and that contact. You can tap on any file to view or play it.
Sharing Media on WhatsApp
Sharing media on WhatsApp is easy. Here are the steps:
- Open the WhatsApp chat where you want to send media
- Tap on the attachment icon (paperclip or + symbol)
- Select the media file you want to send from your phone’s gallery or take a new photo/video
- You can also send documents like PDFs from your phone’s local storage
- Tap send to share the media file to your contact
The media you send will appear in your chat thread and also in the contact’s media gallery for your chat. This makes it easy to find and view media files later on.
Docs on WhatsApp
In addition to media, WhatsApp also allows you to send and receive document files, known as ‘Docs’ on WhatsApp. WhatsApp supports many common document formats like PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, XLS and more.
To view your docs on WhatsApp:
- Open the WhatsApp chat with the contact you exchanged docs with
- Tap on the contact’s name at the top of the screen
- Tap ‘Docs’ below the media tab
This will show all the documents shared between you and that contact. Tapping on any doc will allow you to view it within WhatsApp.
Sharing Docs on WhatsApp
To share documents on WhatsApp:
- Open the WhatsApp chat where you want to send the doc
- Tap on the attachment icon
- Select ‘Document’ to browse files from your phone’s local storage
- You can also take a photo of a document and send it as a photo
- Select the document you want to send
- Tap send to share the document to your contact
Documents up to 100MB in size can be shared on WhatsApp. The file will appear in your chat and in the contact’s docs tab for your chat thread.
Benefits of Sharing Media and Docs on WhatsApp
Here are some benefits of using WhatsApp to share media and documents:
- Easy sharing – Media and docs can be quickly shared via WhatsApp chats
- Organization – The media and docs tabs keep your files organized by chat
- Universal support – Wide range of media and document formats supported
- Security – Files shared on WhatsApp are encrypted end-to-end
- Context – Shared files appear in your chat history, providing context
- Convenience – Media and docs are accessible right within WhatsApp
Tips for Sharing Media and Docs on WhatsApp
To get the most out of sharing media and documents with WhatsApp, keep these tips in mind:
- Make use of captions – Add captions or descriptions to explain photos and videos
- Send shorter videos – Long videos may get compressed by WhatsApp
- Resize large photos – Resize photos over 5MB to optimize quality
- Extract only required pages – Share only the required pages when sending PDFs or documents
- Use WiFi for large transfers – Use WiFi instead of mobile data to send huge media files
- Back up important media – Back up important media or docs to your phone gallery
Media and Doc Limits on WhatsApp
WhatsApp does impose some limits when sending media and documents:
| Media/Doc Type | File Size Limit |
|---|---|
| Photos | Up to 5 MB |
| Videos | Up to 16 MB |
| Audio | Up to 16 MB |
| Documents | Up to 100 MB |
Files larger than these limits will get compressed or downsized by WhatsApp before sending. Keeping media and docs within the size limits ensures they are transferred in their original quality.
Troubleshooting Media and Doc Sharing Issues
Sometimes you may encounter issues sharing media and documents on WhatsApp. Here is how to troubleshoot common problems:
Can’t select media/doc to share
- Allow WhatsApp access to your phone’s storage in app permissions
- Make sure there is media/docs existing in your phone storage
- Restart WhatsApp and try again
Media/docs not sending or getting stuck
- Check your internet connection and try on WiFi
- Restart your phone and WhatsApp
- Media files may be over the file size limit
- Clear WhatsApp cache and try again
Shared media/docs appear blurred or low quality
- Resize media to lower file sizes before sending
- Use WiFi instead of mobile data for better transfer
- Extract and share only required pages from PDFs
Can’t find media/docs shared in chat
- Tap contact name and check media/docs tabs
- Files may have been deleted from phone storage
- Restart WhatsApp and wait for files to sync
Conclusion
To summarize, the media and docs features on WhatsApp allow easy sharing of multimedia files and documents between contacts. All media and files up to defined size limits can be seamlessly sent and received within WhatsApp chats. Using WiFi, compressing files, and following best practices will ensure the optimal transfer of files. Storing important media and backing up documents from WhatsApp is also recommended. With billions of users worldwide, WhatsApp has become one of the handiest ways to share media and files on the go.