After first appearing last month, the Google Messages “Send photos faster” option is more widely rolling out, and we’ve done some quick tests on how it impacts file size, resolution, and quality.
Notably, the “Send photos faster” toggle in the main Settings list is enabled by default. It applies to both pictures sent over RCS and MMS, with photos going from a resolution of 2048 x 1152 to 1600 x 900.
On average, files shrink by over 60% when Send photos faster is enabled, with the quality difference apparent when you zoom in. You can find the RCS results below:
| Original file | Off – Send photos faster | On – Send photos faster | |
| Photo 1 | 9.1MP — 4032 x 2268 — 3.2MB | 2.4MP — 2048 x 1152 — 735 kB | 1.4MP — 1600 x 900 — 293 kB |
| Photo 2 | 2.1MB | 479 kB | 173 kB |
| Photo 3 | 2.9MB | 648 kB | 240 kB |
The savings aren’t insignificant, though depending on your connectivity you might notice the faster upload times. Making the data/time saving option the default is quite bold given the quality reduction. The app should really prompt the user about whether they want the toggle enabled when this feature rolls out.
It might be better if Google analyzed what your cellular connection is currently capable of and dynamically decides whether that preference is enabled. Additionally, having that setting in the image picker might also be better.
We’re seeing the Send photos faster toggle today with the latest Google Messages beta (version 20230502_01).
More on Google Messages:
- Google rolling out fix for Messages on Pixel phones with Android 14 [U]
- Messages’ auto-organizing categories have disappeared for some
- Google Messages starts showing end-to-end encryption for RCS group chats out of beta
- Messages showing read receipts in the conversation list
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