Threads

Threads for Android now supports Ultra HDR images and 10-bit HDR video on Pixel

Damien Wilde | Mar 8 2024 - 10:18 am PT

Threads for Android now supports Ultra HDR image and 10-bit HDR video uploads and viewing of this content on selected Google Pixel hardware.

The latest March Pixel Feature Drop confirmed that Ultra HDR images are now officially supported by Instagram, but it also appears that Threads – another Meta product – has quietly added support for the image format. According to the official Play Store listing, the social media app was last updated on March 8. However, the changelog only mentions bug fixes and “improved performance.”

Despite that lack of acknowledgment of the upgraded viewing experience, when browsing Threads on a Pixel 7, 7 Pro, Fold, 8, and 8 Pro you should start seeing Ultra HDR image and 10-bit HDR video content right now. A compatible display is required, so older devices are not supported.

Having tested this on a Pixel 8 Pro, it seems that this works well, and the dimmed background and other UI elements are the telltale sign that an image or video has been uploaded in format. You can see an example of this below with an image taken with a Google Pixel 8 Pro:

Post by @damienwildeyt

View on Threads

And an example of 10-bit HDR video taken on Pixel 8 Pro:

Post by @damienwildeyt

View on Threads

Ultra HDR images are not captured by the Pixel devices by default, so uploading regular HDR images to Threads won’t look the same or act the same. You’ll need to enable the feature on your device. To do this open the Google camera app > Settings > More settings > Advanced > Ultra HDR > toggle on. For video uploads, open the Google camera app > Settings > 10-bit HDR > toggle on. When shooting HDR video on Pixel phones, you are limited to 30fps at 1080p and 4K UHD.

Google recently shared a study on how Meta is improving internal Android app development. The fruits of this appear to be multiple applications – including Threads – that already support Ultra HDR images and 10-bit HDR video uploads and viewing on Pixel phones running Android 14.