Stop WhatsApp from recompressing your photos

Stop the chat app from crushing the photo a second time

Updated 6 September 2026

WhatsApp, iMessage and Telegram recode a photo send. Crush first, cap the long edge, then attach as a document when the pixels matter.

Why the lookbook dies in the composer

A phone JPEG is often 4-12 MB. The chat treats it as a photo to preview and makes its own JPEG. Dropping a WhatsApp export into Crush will not restore detail. Start from the camera original. Math lives on the JPEG vs WebP page. This page is the send path.

Photo send versus document send

Photo / gallery. Almost always recoded. Status is this path with a harder cap.
Document / file. Bytes stay closer to what Crush encoded. Use the paperclip document slot, not the camera-roll tile.

HD on a photo send is less bad, not lossless. The test: did the recipient get a file they can Save?

Seven steps

1. Camera original

Not Save image from an old bubble. Buttons are on How to.

2. Same device

Do not mail the original to a laptop first. Safari download quirks: iPhone guide.

3. Cap the long edge

1600 px for a photo send, 2048 px for a document send you will zoom. Crush will not upscale.

4. JPEG 75-85, not WebP

Chats still choke on WebP. Quality 40 at full resolution invents the block grid. If it is still huge after 1600, drop to 1280, not to 30.

5. One hero, then the batch

ZIP is built in the tab. Five 48MP stills at a time on a phone.

6. Attach as a document

WhatsApp: paperclip to Document. Telegram: send as file. iMessage: file picker.

7. Do not loop

Generation loss: quality page.

What this page will not claim

Crush does not disable WhatsApp compression.
Crush does not send the image.
Crush does not convert HEIC. Convert the still first, then bring the JPEG here.
A mail megabyte cap is the email guide.

Related: Open the compressor · How to · Email caps · FAQ.

FAQ

When does JPEG look blocky, and what quality should I use?

JPEG splits the picture into 8×8 blocks and throws away high-frequency detail. Below about 50–60 on Crush’s slider you start to see squares in skies, ringing around sharp type, and muddy skin. For photos destined for email or a CMS, 75–85 is the useful band: most people cannot tell them from the original at phone size, and the file often drops by half or more. Screenshots and UI with thin lines should not be JPEG at all — use PNG or WebP. If you already see blocks, raising quality cannot invent lost detail; re-export from the original instead of crushing a crushed JPEG again.

Does Crush work on iPhone and iPad?

Yes, as a web app in Safari (and other iOS browsers that use WebKit). Drag-and-drop is awkward on phones, so use the file picker. After compress, if the download does not appear in Files, use the Share sheet Crush offers and save the image to Photos. iOS may apply EXIF orientation when creating the bitmap; Crush draws the upright pixels so you do not get a sideways JPEG. Very large Live Photos are still two assets — Crush compresses the still, not the video clip.

Why does a photo still look bad after I send it in WhatsApp?

Because the chat probably recoded it as a photo. Crush cannot switch WhatsApp’s encoder off. Start from the camera original, cap the long edge around 1600 px, JPEG 75–85, then attach the result as a document / file when the app allows. Saving an image from an old bubble and running that through Crush will not restore detail. Full path: the WhatsApp guide.

Should I pick WebP for WhatsApp or for a visa form?

Usually no. Many chats and almost all bureaucratic uploaders still want JPEG. WebP is the smaller file on a modern website that already serves WebP. If the destination list says .jpg, obey the list. Compare one hero on the quality page before you batch.