iPhone videos may look bad on Android because of a lack of RCS support on iPhones, incompatible video formats, a poor internet connection, and others. To fix the issue, consider converting videos, sending them through a different service, or repairing them.
Sharing videos with friends and family is something I do frequently. Whether it is to share cool moments, offer life updates, or give a glimpse into a recent vacation or adventure, videos are a great medium to utilize.
Unfortunately, when sending an iPhone video to an Android device, it could end up appearing a lot worse than intended. But why? And what can be done about it?
This guide is going to go over why iPhone videos often look bad on Android devices, and how the issue can be fixed.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- iPhone videos may look bad on Android devices because of a lack of RCS support on Apple devices, the format being incompatible with Android, a poor internet connection, or a difference in screen resolution and quality.
- To fix the issue, you can convert videos before you send them, use a different service that supports RCS to send them or repair the videos once they’ve arrived in some cases.
- While Apple doesn’t currently support RCS, it has recently announced that it will bring RCS to iPhones at some point soon. This should help this issue.
The Reason Why iPhone Videos Look Bad on Android
In many cases, the reason that iPhone videos look bad on Android phones is that the iPhone doesn’t support RCS as of late 2023, while Android does. This stands for Rich Communication Services and refers to a protocol that looks to improve messaging.
RCS messaging allows for file sharing up to 100MB. On the other hand, when iPhone users send videos, their file sizes are restricted due to there being no RCS on Apple devices.
As a result, if you send a video from an iPhone to an Android, the file will need to be compressed down to a certain size so it fits within the file size limit and can be sent, thus ruining the quality in some cases when viewing it on an Android device.
While this is the main reason, there are other potential reasons for why iPhone videos look bad on Android. This includes the video format being incompatible with Android, a poor internet connection, or even a difference in screen quality and resolution.
How to Fix This Problem
While this issue can be annoying when sending and/or receiving videos from friends with different devices, there are some ways to work around it. One option is to simply transfer files through a different service.
Instead of sending a direct link to the video by attaching it to a message from an iPhone, you can upload it to something like Google Drive or Dropbox, and then send that link to the recipient with the Android.
This way, the video being sent won’t need to be compressed down and restricted by the iPhone file size limit. You can also send videos over email to achieve a similar result.
If you think the low-quality video is caused by an incompatible format, consider converting the video to another format before sending it. There are several free video conversion tools that let you convert a video from one format to another in seconds.
Simply identify the formats Android supports (such as MPEG-4, H.264, and others), convert your video to one of the options if it’s a different format, and send it to the recipient. The process for converting is also very simple.
For example, if you use Zamzar, you just need to:
- Choose the file you want to convert, either from your device, from a URL, or from another platform/service.
- Choose the format you want to convert to.
- Click Convert Now to begin the process, and then download your file once it’s done.
You can also use video repair or editing tools to make the video look better after the fact. There are many available, so make sure to do your homework and look at the features each provides before choosing which to go with. Consider checking out user reviews, too.
These may be able to help you reduce blurriness, increase sharpness, improve colors, and more.
If your internet connection is poor, the video may not load or play properly either. As a result, attempt to play the video once you have a stronger connection and see if that makes a difference in quality.
Lastly, if the issue is related to screen resolution and quality, there is not much more that you can do other than viewing the video on a better display.
For example, a video that is shot in 4k on an iPhone, but viewed on an Android device that only has a 720p screen will not look as good as if it was viewed on a higher-resolution display.
FAQs
Here are a few commonly asked questions about this topic, along with their answers.
Will Apple eventually support RCS?
While Apple doesn’t support RCS currently, it has announced that it will begin supporting it at some point in 2024. Only time will tell when the support will take place, but when it does, it should improve the quality of videos sent from iPhones to Android devices.
How to ensure videos sent don’t lose quality?
If you want to guarantee that videos sent from an iPhone to an Android don’t lose quality, the best option is to use a third-party tool to send the videos. For example, if you send a Google Drive link of the video, it won’t have to be compressed to be sent from an iPhone.
Final Thoughts
Sending iPhone videos to friends and family with an Android device only to have them appear as a blurry mess can be annoying and frustrating for both sides. I hope this guide has helped you learn why this happens, and what can be done to fix the issue going forward.
Is there anything else you feel I should have mentioned in this guide? If so, let me know in the comment below.
