Apple Inc. developed and launched the iMessage in 2011 as the instant message service for Apple platforms. The uses of iMessage include sending and receiving text messages, videos, images, and documents. If someone has sent you videos through iMessage, you might be wondering why the videos on display are small.
So, why are videos small in iMessage? The videos are small on your iMessage because of your phone settings, the quality of the videos, or your cellular carrier’s MMS requirements. The display setting on your phone could determine the size of videos on iMessage. The videos could also be small because of their quality. If the sender made them small, they would appear the same on your phone. Your cellular carrier has limitations on MMS, hence the videos will appear in size required by your cellular carrier.
Many people who own Apple devices like iPhones and iPads use iMessage to communicate with their family, friends, and colleagues. If videos sent through iMessage are small, you might have many questions about why the videos appear small.
There are many messaging applications that you can use to communicate with your friends or colleagues. If you have an Apple device, you can use the iMessage service to send and receive videos. When someone sends you videos through iMessage, you might be wondering why the videos are small on your phone.
The videos in iMessage are small because of your phone’s settings, the quality of the videos, and the requirements set by your cellular carrier. The display settings on your Apple device will determine if the videos appear small or big.
The quality of the video will determine its size; therefore, iMessage will display the video in the size it was recorded. Most cellular carriers administer limitations on MMS you can send or receive; therefore, the videos will appear small on iMessage if your cellular carrier has automatically compressed them. If you want the videos to appear bigger on iMessage, you should change the display settings or change your cellular carrier.
When you record a video on your Apple device or any other device capable of doing so, you get to decide the size of the video. If you choose a small size, the video will appear in its original size.
If someone keeps sending you videos that appear small on your iMessage, you can inform them to start recording videos using larger ratios. However, they should not make the video too large. If the video is too large, it could be difficult to send through iMessage or receive a blurry video.
If you have tried changing the display settings or informing the sender to record better videos, but the size remains small, you should try other options. You can inform the sender to send the video through MMS (Multimedia Messaging Services). However, the size of the video will depend on the limitations imposed by your cellular carrier.
Most cellular carriers have imposed maximum size for videos or images sent as MMS. Your cellular carrier will compress it to its recommended size to ensure that a person receives the image or video you have sent.
You can also request the sender of the videos to send them via another messaging service such as email. While MMS and iMessage limit the file size, you can send or receive, most email providers have a larger limit.
The sender sends the video that appears small on your iMessage through email, and after downloading it, you can check if it is still small or it has increased. If the size remains the same, you can ask the sender to use a file-sharing service to send the video.
Why Won’t iMessage Download Pictures?
Sharing pictures is one of the features included in most communications devices. For Apple device users, iMessage is the simplest way to send pictures, you just click send, and the recipient immediately gets the pictures. However, sometimes iMessage will not download pictures sent, and you might be wondering why you cannot see the pictures.
There are several reasons why iMessage will not download pictures. They include network settings, being signed out of Apple ID, little or no storage space, and message settings. When someone sends you pictures through iMessage, the pictures usually appear automatically on the message thread.
When iMessage cannot download the pictures, the text “Tap to Download” will appear where the pictures are supposed to be. Even if you tap that message, the image will not appear on the message thread. If you want iMessage to download the pictures, you should change the settings, ensure enough storage space, and have a working internet connection.
When iMessage does not download pictures, you first need to check the internet connection. IMessage requires a working internet connection to send and receive text messages, videos, images, and documents.
You can use a Wi-Fi network or cellular data to send and receive messages on iMessage. If your internet connection is not working properly, iMessage cannot download any pictures sent to your Apple device. If you are using a Wi-Fi network, restart the router and if that does not work, contact the service provider. If you are using cellular data, ensure that you have enough data to download the pictures.
Resetting the network settings on your Apple device could also make iMessage start to download pictures. Sometimes your network settings might prevent some applications in your Apple device from working properly, including iMessage.
To ensure that the network settings are not the cause, go to:
- “Settings,”
- Open “General,” and
- Tap “Reset”.
- Tap “Reset Network Settings”
- Enter the password when prompted, and
- Tap “Reset” to confirm.
You should note that resetting the network settings will reset all your cellular and Wi-Fi settings and restore them to their factory settings. If you had saved wi-Fi passwords on your Apple device, they would all disappear. Therefore, if you want to keep the passwords, you should think carefully before resetting the network settings.
If you have a working internet connection, but iMessage is not downloading the pictures sent to your Apple device, sign out of your Apple ID, sign back in, and select Apple ID for iMessage.
- Open “Settings” on your Apple device and
- Select “Messages”
- Open “Send & Receive”
- Tap and hold your “Apple ID,” and sign out
- Select “Use your Apple ID for iMessages”
- Enter your Apple ID credentials and sign in.
Re-signing with Apple ID on iMessage will help remove corrupted data that could be preventing iMessage from downloading pictures.
iMessage could also fail to download pictures if you have not turned on MMS messaging. You can turn on MMS messaging through the message settings on your Apple device. Turning on MMS messaging will enable your Apple device to receive videos and images through the messaging system.
- Open “Settings,” scroll down, and
- Tap “Messages”
You will see the option of turning on “MMS Messaging,” move that toggle to on and if it was already set to on, move on to the next solution.
You also need to check if your phone has enough storage space to store all the pictures you receive through iMessage. If you are running out of storage space on your Apple device, you will receive a notification saying you need to free up some space.
If someone sends you pictures that take up more storage space than the free storage space you have on your Apple device, iMessage will not download those pictures. To download those pictures on iMessage, you have to free up storage space on your device. You can delete files or applications that you do not need to create space for the new pictures on iMessage.
Does iMessage Notify the Other Person When a Screenshot Is Taken?
A screenshot is one of the simplest ways to preserve what you see on your screen. Some people use the screenshot feature to take images of their chats to share them with other people or preserve them for later. If you do not want people to screenshot your conversations with them, you might be wondering if you will receive a notification if someone screenshots your chats on iMessage.
iMessage does not notify the other person when a screenshot is taken because Apple did not include this feature. When chatting with another person about a sensitive subject, it is normal to worry if the other person might share your chats with other people. Most people will screenshot the conversation and send the screenshot to other people as an image.
Some people think it would be a great feature to get notified if someone screenshots their chats to ensure conversations stay private. However, others believe the feature does not make any difference since a person can keep the conversation for as long as they want and share them through other means.
After the introduction of instant messaging apps, chatting has become the most common mode of communication. Most people now prefer to send text messages on iMessage rather than make a phone call. However, one issue with sending a text, video, or image on iMessage, is everything stays documented.
Someone can screenshot the conversations and share it with other people, which could cause problems in your social or professional life. Some apps like Snapchat will notify you if someone takes a screenshot of your chats or snaps; therefore, you will know who did it if any of your conversations get leaked.
In iMessage, you can take screenshots of any conversation, and the other person will not know that you did that. Once the other person receives a message through iMessage, they can keep it for as long as they want.
iMessage does not have features that allow you to delete chats on both ends; if you delete them on your phone, the other person will still have them. Therefore, getting a notification when someone screenshots your chats on iMessage is not an effective way of controlling who reads your conversations.
If you are worried that your chats on iMessage might go viral, the best thing to do is watch what you say. Do not say something that the other person might deem necessary to share with other people. You should also ensure you have the correct conversation with the right person.
Do not share your personal views or opinions with someone you are not close to via text. If you are talking about a sensitive topic, you can also ask the other person not to screenshot and share the chats with other people without your permission.
You can also switch platforms if you want to get notified if someone screenshots your chats. Snapchat is the most common messaging app that sends you notifications when someone screenshots your chats or snaps.
You also cannot keep messages on Snapchat for a long time, and the messages will disappear after a while. Therefore, if you talk about a sensitive subject, you will receive a notification every time the other person screenshots the chats. If they do not screenshot the chat, the messages will also disappear, ensuring that your conversations stay private.
The best method of avoiding your conversations showing up on the internet is making phone calls. If you believe what you need to say might be controversial or embarrassing when put in text, make a phone call.
The other person may not record the phone call; hence it would be difficult to share what you said to them. The person will have to paraphrase what you said during the phone call, which you can easily deny or claim they misunderstand what you meant to say.
Summary
IMessage is an amazing messaging service that allows Apple device users to send and receive text messages, videos, images, and documents. However, sometimes you might run into issues like small videos appearing on the message thread when using iMessage. You can fix it by changing your display settings, asking the sender to record videos using the correct size, and using other applications to receive the videos.
Sometimes you can also have difficulties downloading pictures on iMessage, and it is usually caused by weak or no internet connection, low storage space, and disabled MMS messaging. You can fix these issues by ensuring you have a working internet connection, enabling MMS messaging, creating enough storage space, and resetting the network settings.
In the age where everything is digital, going viral over private conversation due to screenshots is very easy. Getting a notification when someone screenshot your message does not matter; that person can still send it to other people even if you get notified. The best way to protect your private conversations is to watch what you say, use a messaging platform with the disappearing message feature or make a phone call.
