Video over 16mb limit?

[Voll]

Someone has just sent me a 58mb video through WhatsApp. It's 7 minutes and 37 seconds long.

How is this possible? I tried to send the exact same video file to someone else but I was limited to 17mb only! Can someone please enlighten me what's going on?

Thank you very much.

P.S.
The video I received has a thumbnail, meaning it wasn't sent through "Document" but "Gallery".

 

[SpookDroid]

According to the Whatsapp official FAQ, this limit IS 16MB across devices. However, if the sender used a modified version of the app or if it's a rooted Android with a modified file, the limit can be extended, but this is not from a stock option, it requires some hacking.

 

[Voll]

According to the Whatsapp official FAQ, this limit IS 16MB across devices. However, if the sender used a modified version of the app or if it's a rooted Android with a modified file, the limit can be extended, but this is not from a stock option, it requires some hacking.

That fellow wasn't very bright in terms of phones and gadgets so I don't think it was a modified version of WhatsApp. Of course that doesn't mean it wasn't for sure. I read about it online and I know that we could modify WhatsApp with a rooted phone, but I'm very certain it wasn't a rooted phone that person was using.

I lack knowledge in this specific area, so I'd like to know whether to send a video more than 17mb (strangely my own WhatsApp's limit is 17mb) is only ever possible through a modified non-stock WhatsApp.

Thanks a lot.

 

[ManiacJoe]

According to internet searches, the way to get around the WhatsApp limit is to first root your phone then edit one of the XML configuration files for WhatsApp.

 

[Voll]

According to internet searches, the way to get around the WhatsApp limit is to first root your phone then edit one of the XML configuration files for WhatsApp.

Yes. I found that too. But I also read that the receiver also needs to have the modified version of WhatsApp, else it'd still be in pieces somehow. Can someone please confirm this?

And, is this really the only way to send videos over the limit with a thumbnail displayed? Or is there some non-standard way of "pressing the right things" to reach a certain interface where this is allowed?

 

[ManiacJoe]

Or is there some non-standard way of "pressing the right things" to reach a certain interface where this is allowed?

The XML hack would be the only way to get there since the only way allowed by WhatsApp is being under the 16 MB limit.

 

[Voll]

The XML hack would be the only way to get there since the only way allowed by WhatsApp is being under the 16 MB limit.

So with that hack (and only that hack) something like the attached image is possible? Just yesterday I received a 58mb video.

What about GBwhatsapp?

 

[ManiacJoe]

Depending on how WhatsApp implemented their APIs, it is possible that the 16mb limit is being implemented only in the official WhatsApp app, which the XML hack does seem to imply.

If that is the case, then any third party app using the WhatsApp service would be free to ignore the limits.

 

[Voll]

Alright. Thank you very much.