Sending videos on WhatsApp seems like a simple task until you encounter an error. It can be frustrating when, instead of a quick transfer, you see the process constantly freezing or receive a notification of failure. This problem is one of the most common and can ruin the experience of communicating.
There can be various reasons for this, ranging from a large file size to a temporary network failure. Don't immediately blame your phone or app. Most often, everything can be solved with a few simple steps that don't require any special knowledge.
In this article, we will look at the main causes of crashes and provide step-by-step instructions on how to fix them. You will be able to quickly identify the problem and share videos with your friends and family again without any hassle.
Reason 1: Internet connection issues
One of the main reasons for errors when downloading videos to WhatsApp on any device is insufficient or unstable internet speed. As a result, the selected publication is damaged or the download itself is interrupted due to a long wait. As a rule, in order to check the stability of the internet, you need to use third-party services or system tools.
More details:
Checking Internet speed and stability
Internet connection on a computer, Android, and iOS
If the speed readings are less than 5 Mbps, or high losses have been detected, we recommend first restarting the Internet on your device, whether it be restarting the router or switching your smartphone to airplane mode and back. Sometimes switching to a different type of connection can also help, which is especially true for mobile internet, and as a last resort, contact your service provider.
Sometimes videos are not sent to WhatsApp for simple reasons: the file is too large, the internet connection is weak, the application version is outdated, or the video format is unsuitable. Most often, it helps to compress the video, check the connection, or update WhatsApp to the latest version. Sometimes it is enough to simply restart your phone, and everything will start working as it should.
Reason 2: Problems on the messenger side
Another common cause is general server-side issues with the messenger, leading to partial or complete failure of the associated application. Unfortunately, the only way to check for such issues is unofficially, using third-party services such as Downdetector, available at the link below.
Check the current status of WhatsApp on the Downdetector website
The main focus should be on the status of the servers at the top of the page, and for more information, you can refer to the outage schedule. If the application malfunctions and the specified website displays an outage, all you can do is wait for a while and, if absolutely necessary (for example, when everyone else's WhatsApp is working as usual, but yours is not), write to customer support, as described at the end of this article.
Reason 3: Restrictions on file format and size
Currently, WhatsApp imposes a number of restrictions on published content, exceeding which usually leads to incorrect loading or errors during processing. Specifically in the case of video files, it is important to adhere to the list of supported formats, which currently includes “3GP”, “MP4”, “AVI”, “MKV” and “MOV”.
More details:
Supported file formats in WhatsApp
Fixing the “File format not supported” error in WhatsApp
In turn, the maximum actual size of a single video cannot exceed 64 MB and a duration of 6 minutes, which may vary depending on the quality of the published content. Accordingly, the lower the resolution selected, the longer the duration allowed without visible restrictions. This feature does not apply to statuses, where the maximum duration is limited to 30 seconds.
More details: Sending long videos in WhatsApp
If you still want to send a large media file via messenger, as an alternative to attaching the media file, you can use the button “Document”. This feature allows you to bypass the limits mentioned above, but the files themselves will only be available for viewing after downloading. There is another solution, which boils down to pre-splitting the file into several parts.
Reason 4: Storage access restrictions
A noteworthy but rare cause of the problem in question is device restrictions on the use of the file system. Such restrictions are generally absent in the PC version of WhatsApp, and therefore this method is only relevant for mobile platforms, whether Android or iOS.
Android
- To restore the missing permission for the messenger on the specified platform, open the system “Settings” and go to the category “Applications”. Here, you need to find and select the application in any convenient way ‘WhatsApp’.
- On the screen shown, go to the subcategory “Permissions” and activate the slider “Memory”. You can edit other settings as you see fit, including “Camera”, as this will not affect the ability to download existing files.
Please note that the related settings may be edited automatically when you first launch the messenger. Therefore, a complete reinstallation and selecting the appropriate item in the pop-up window during setup can be considered an alternative solution.
iOS
If you are using the official client for iOS, you must, again, first go to the system “Settings” and find WhatsApp among the installed applications at the very bottom of the page. After that, open the embedded section “Photo”, which, despite its name, affects all supported publication types.
Check the box “All photos”, button to remove restrictions on access to media files, or “Selected photos”, which will allow you to additionally select records available for use in the application. In any case, the updated settings do not need to be saved, so just return to the application and make sure that the error in question is gone by resending the content.
Reason 5: Incorrect date on the device
The next reason for errors when sending video files may be an incorrect date on the device, which usually occurs only when you edit the related settings yourself. Moreover, WhatsApp usually will not open if the date is set incorrectly on the device, so all changes should have been made after starting the program.
The most convenient and universal solution in this case is to go to the system “Settings”, category selection “Date and Time” and enable the “Automatically”. Other settings, in turn, do not affect the potential performance of the messenger.
Reason 6: Outdated version of the application
Using an outdated version of the application is the cause of many problems in the messenger's operation, along with the general server-side failures discussed earlier. Therefore, if you are using an old version of the client, you need to open the page in the official app store and use the button ‘Update’ to install the latest version.
More details: How to update WhatsApp on your phone
In rare cases, devices running older versions of Android and iOS, as well as the app itself, will need to be updated beforehand. This is due to the discontinuation of support for significantly outdated OS versions, which may result in the latest versions of WhatsApp being unavailable for download from official sources. Again, this is extremely rare, so most often the cause should be sought elsewhere.
Reason 7: Application errors
Common errors in the official application can lead to various consequences, such as the program closing arbitrarily or the inability to send video files. The solutions suggested below should only be used as a last resort if other methods have not yielded the desired results.
- First, you need to restart the application and the device itself in any convenient way. These actions should be performed in sequence, first restarting the messenger and rechecking the program for problems, and only then restarting the operating system.
More details: Restarting WhatsApp on your phone
- If these steps are not enough, you should reinstall the application after backing it up, as described in our other instructions at the link below. The removal itself can be done in different ways: by pressing and holding the icon on the home screen and using the pop-up menu, or by visiting the messenger page at “Settings” systems.
More details:
How to back up your WhatsApp messages
How to completely remove and reinstall WhatsApp
The installation can be done in several ways: by opening the page in the app store or using the APK file available for download on the messenger's website (for Android). Once completed, all that remains is to log in, restore data from the backup, and check the ability to download video files that previously caused an error.
As you can see, most problems with sending videos on WhatsApp are fairly easy to solve. Most often, it all comes down to file size, internet quality, or minor glitches in the app itself.
If you encounter difficulties again, simply follow these steps in order. Start by checking your connection and restarting your phone, then move on to more specific actions, such as compressing videos or clearing your cache. One of these methods is almost certain to help.
After all, the messenger is designed for quick and easy communication. Don't let technical glitches prevent you from sharing important moments with your friends and loved ones.
