Facebook adds 4K image capability to Messenger app

Facebook has updated its popular Messenger app to support image transfers at 4K resolution, the social network has announced.

As of today users can send and receive photos in Messenger at 4K resolution — or 4,096 x 4,096 pixels per image — which is the highest quality that most smartphones support.

Some 17 billion images are sent through Messenger each month, and Facebook is promising that your images will transfer just as quickly as before despite the higher resolution.

Low resolution and compression issues has long been a complaint about the medium, and the update should help position Facebook as a place for photographers to host images and share them to their followers.

How to update Facebook Messenger for 4K photos

1. To send and share photos at 4K resolution, first update your Messenger app to make sure you have the latest version.
2. Then open a conversation and tap the camera roll icon.
3. Select the photo, tap send, and the person you’re messaging with will receive the photo at its original, higher resolution in which it was captured.

The 4K photo Messenger update extends to both Android and iOS users in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, France, Australia, the UK, Singapore and South Korea.

The 4K resolution will get a wider release in the coming weeks.