Guide · 4 min
Why WhatsApp photos print blurry (and how to fix it)
Short answer: WhatsApp shrinks photos to about 1–2 megapixels. That is enough for a phone screen, but not for a 7×5 print or larger.
What WhatsApp does to a photo
A modern phone takes photos of 12 megapixels or more. When a photo is sent through WhatsApp, it is resized and compressed to keep messages small: usually to around 1600 pixels on the long side.
On a phone screen you cannot tell. On paper you can: at 300 dots per inch, 1600 pixels is only about 5.3 inches. Anything bigger than a 6×4 starts to look soft.
How to tell if a photo came through WhatsApp
The file name often contains “-WA”, the photo has no camera details, and the long side is exactly 1600 or 2560 pixels. SendToShop flags these photos for you on the order.
How to get the original
Ask the customer to send from their camera roll instead. With SendToShop they scan the QR on your counter and pick the photos: the originals arrive in full resolution, and iPhone HEIC photos get a JPG copy on your PC.
Questions
Does WhatsApp’s “HD” option fix it?
It helps, but HD photos are still resized and compressed. For prints, the original file from the camera roll is always better.