Though the battle between smartphone supremacy rages, there’s no reason for iPhone and Android users not to get along. After all, you can run the most popular Google apps such as Gmail and Chrome on your iPhone. And if you have an Android phone, you can get Apple TV and Apple Music.
Siri and Google Assistant are designed to make your life easier and share many capabilities. Want to turn on your phone’s flashlight or add an event to your calendar? Tap or click here for five commands every iPhone and Android user should know.
If there’s one obstacle hindering the relationship between iPhone and Android fans, it’s sharing media in text messages. You’ve probably experienced some issues trying to send a video from your Android phone to an iPhone or vice versa. We’ll show you an easy way to share photos and videos.
What’s up with poor image quality?
There’s a file size limit when you send a picture through a text message. This varies by carrier and the type of file. Verizon, for example, limits picture messages to 1.2 MB and video messages to 3.5 MB. The file is reduced to fit the limits if you go beyond that. This results in poorer quality.
Standard SMS (Short Message Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messages work on the cellular network and thus require a wireless plan. That’s where your carrier steps in to impose limits.
Over-the-top (OTT) applications, on the other hand, rely on an internet connection. Apple’s iMessage is a prime example of an OTT messaging service. iMessage has higher limits for file sizes. For this reason, a video sent from one iPhone to another will typically look better than one sent between an iPhone and Android device.
Things get worse in group chats involving a mix of iPhone and Android users. You may see videos downsized to a literal thumbnail. Unacceptable! Relationships have ended for less.
So do you dump your friends and loved ones if they refuse to switch to your phone’s ecosystem? Hold off on that. We’ll show you a better way.
RELATED: The next iPhone OS lets you edit and unsend texts and check if anyone has your passwords
What’s up with WhatsApp?
The Meta-owned WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app, with billions of users. You can use it for voice and video calls, text messages, file sharing and more. It’s easy to use, and its end-to-end encryption ensures that only you and the person you’re communicating with can read or listen to your exchange.
WhatsApp is a great way to share images and videos. According to WhatsApp’s FAQ, the maximum file size allowed for all media is 16 MB on all platforms. That’s far better than you’ll get with regular text messages.
You can download WhatsApp Messenger for free from the Google Play Store or Apple’s Apple Store. All you need to register is a phone number.
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