Why does "Low Quality Image Mode" send high resolution images when enabled?

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Level 1

20 points

Why does "Low Quality Image Mode" send high resolution images when enabled?

I was under the impression having this feature enabled in the Messages preferences would send a lower resolution image when I send photos to friends. I checked today, and the photo I just sent was over 3MB in size. How is a photo with a file size this large considered "low quality"?

Does this feature have a bug?

iPhone 7

Posted on Aug 22, 2022 11:41 AM

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Answer 1

bruno75

Community Specialist

Aug 23, 2022 2:23 PM in response to bentStaple

Hey there bentStaple,

As the photo is showing close to the same size you mentioned '3MB' and '2.78MB', we agree there seems to be very little change in size even having the mode to send smaller sized photos in Messages from your Mac. Let's continue narrowing down some possible causes by confirming the following details:

If you were able to test this in the past, and it did show a significant difference in size when sending photos from your Mac, when did this first start to occur?
Let's also rule out being outdated as a possible cause. As you have an iPhone 7, the latest version for it is iOS 15.6.1. You can verify this within Settings > General > About. Here's a link that'll show how to first back up, then Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
If you have a compatible Mac model, the latest version is macOS 12.5.1. You can verify this by clicking on the Apple logo at the top left corner of the screen, then on ‘About This Mac’. This link will show how to first back up, then Update macOS on Mac.
While it may seem like a simple step, sometimes restarting resolves an issue. Has a restart been tried for both devices? If not, check out the section 'Restart' here: Log out, sleep, wake, restart, or shut down your Mac. For your iPhone, this link shows how to Restart your iPhone.

Cheers!

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Answer 2

ryane77

Community Specialist

Aug 23, 2022 11:12 AM in response to bentStaple

Hi bentStaple,

We see you have a question about using Low Quality Image Mode in Messages on your iPhone. What you're describing could be normal depending on and relative to the size of the original photo, so we'd like to get a few details to see if we can help out with this.

Do you see similar results with other photos?

Also, try opening the Photos app on your device and locate and tap the photo in question. Then swipe up to bring up metadata about the photo. How does the file size here compare to the file size you saw in Messages?

Let us know the answers to the questions above, as this will help work out if what you're seeing is normal.

Take care.

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Answer 3

bentStaple Author

Level 1

20 points

Aug 23, 2022 2:03 PM in response to ryane77

I went into the Photos app and found the photo. I checked the size and it's actually smaller, at 2.78 MB. The only reason I can think why this is the case is because photos in the app use the .HEIC format instead of .jpg. Regardless, there still seems to be a problem when sending photos through the Messages app with "Low Quality Mode" enabled.

The photo in question was sent using the Messages app on my iMac, but I assume the iMac sends the photo to the iPhone, which is actually the device that talks to the cell phone towers and transmits text messages. Although, the recipient of this photo also has an iPhone, so maybe the version of the Messages app on the iMac actually sends the photo through the network cable instead of relaying it to the phone.

Thoughts?

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Why does "Low Quality Image Mode" send high resolution images when enabled?

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