How to Send Large Video Files on iMessages
Don’t let Apple’s file size limit for Messages hold you back – send your large video for free with Smash today!
IN THIS GUIDE, YOU’RE GOING TO READ THE 4 OPTIONS TO TRANSFER A LARGE VIDEO FILE WITH IMESSAGE:
1. Smash
2. iCloud
3. Google Drive
Apple’s native messaging application, Messages, makes it easy to send just about anything to anyone else using a MacOS or iOS device.
Those little blue bubbles make it a cinch to drop a text, image, link, or video and have it steaming to your recipient in seconds. It will arrive in all its high quality and full resolution to be enjoyed on the other end, and it’s fast, secure, and so user-friendly.
Unless you are trying to send a large video file, that is.
When you try and send a high-quality video via Messages, you’ll run into a file size limit of 100MB. This represents only about 5 minutes of 1080p HD video or just over a minute of 4K quality film.
With Apple’s own iPhones shooting 4K video, this is a significant brake on sharing the great content that can be created with or edited with Apple devices. So how long of a video can you send on iMessage? The iMessage video length limit is determined by this file size restriction.
The longest video you can send on iMessage without running into problems is typically 5 minutes of 1080p HD video. If your video exceeds this length or file size, you may need to compress it or use an alternative method to send it.
But if you're looking to send something larger, like a 4K video, it won’t make it through the iMessage video limit. So, how do you share a large video on iPhone through Messages?
It’s not going to be a transfer via email (you’ll run into a limit at an even-smaller 25MB there), and while there are other ways to send your large file outside of Messages, the app is so convenient for everything else it would be great to keep all your conversations and transfers in one place.
Don’t panic, though, we’ve got you covered with four great ways to get your video where it needs to go.
Four Ways to Transfer a Large Video File with iMessage
There are both native and non-native ways to transfer a large video via Messages. All of them help you overcome the 100MB limit on file transfers, but they do so via different means. The four ways to send your large movie file are:
Smash, a file transfer service
iCloud, Apple’s own native cloud service
Google Drive, a competing but market leading consumer file storage service
Apple’s built-in compression functionality
We can assess each of these across a number of criteria, specifically:
Cost
Speed
Security
Impact on Resolution or Quality
Environmental Impact
Let’s see how they all add up.
1. Smash
Smash is a file transfer service that is purpose built to send large files rapidly, in complete security, and smoothly right from Messages on your iOS, iPadOS, or MacOS device. Smash is unique among file transfer services in that there are no file size limits for transfers even on the free tier.
This means that Smash will never downgrade your resolution, send a shoddy version of your video file, or force anyone to decompress or unzip the file that lands on their machine. It’s all about being user-friendly on both ends of the transfer, and here’s how to get it done via Smash on the web:
Go to the Smash website and click the icon in the middle of the screen
Select your large video file and upload it to Smash
Enter your email address to track the transfer, then copy and paste the unique URL
Drop your URL into Messages and press send – the moment your message arrives the file is already available to download!
Pros: It’s so easy, entirely secure, and lightning fast. You don’t need a cloud subscription and you never have to worry about the file losing resolution or getting corrupted when it is unzipped. Best of all? No size limits ever!
Cons: It’s a third party service but there are native apps for MacOS and iOS, so it works just like an Apple app.
2. iCloud
iCloud is Apple’s file storage service in the cloud. Every Apple account owner has at least some free iCloud storage space and it is possible to pay for more, too.
If your video content is synced with the Apple cloud, either through Apple Photos or an iCloud folder on your device, then sharing a link to that big video file is easy.
Dropping that link into Messages is a straightforward copy-and-paste from your right click on MacOS or a long tap on your iOS or iPadOS device. Here’s how to do it:
Open your Photos app or iCloud folder and select the video file you want to share
Right click or select the share icon, then in Options, select iCloud Link, then tap Done
Go to Messages and copy-and-paste the URL into your bubble, then send!
Pros: If your Photos folder or other iCloud folders are in sync, then sending a video is easy – a couple of taps or clicks and you are done.
Cons: You will need to pay for iCloud space when you run out of the small amount that Apple offers account holders, and you’ll need to make sure that your folders are in sync to feel that smooth Apple ‘just works’ magic.
3. Google Cloud
The Google equivalent to Apple’s iCloud is Google Drive. Much like the Cupertino product, Google Drive is a file storage service that offers some free space to users and some hefty subscriptions for those that need more space. Though not built to share large files like Smash is, it is possible to upload a large video file from your Mac, iPhone, or iPad to Google Drive and then share a link to that file with ease. There are a couple of downsides – your file will stay in the cloud until you delete it burning carbon the whole time, and you’ll have to upload the video file yourself instead of having a nice iCloud background sync – but it can and does work. Here’s how:
Open your Google Drive at drive.google.com
Upload your video file to Google Drive – just make sure you have enough space in your Drive!
When the upload has completed, right-click or select the file on your iDevice and select share
Set your sharing settings (view, edit) and then copy the link, before pasting into your Messages bubble
Pros: Storing your large video files on Google’s servers means saving space on your Apple device, and sharing the file to more than one person is easy by copying and pasting the same link over again.
Cons: There are a few. You’ll pay for the storage space, your file will be burning carbon on those Google servers long after it has been sent, it’s a third party option, and your sharing settings are key to keeping control of your video file.
4. Native Compression
Apple has native compression functionality built into MacOs and it makes sending a compressed file from your Apple device easy. A few clicks are all you need to transform your big video file into a compressed zip archive folder, and if you manage to bring it under 100MB you’ll be able to drop it into the Messages bubble without a second thought.
There are a couple of potential problems: first, you might not be able to get the file size zipped under 100MB and you’ll remain stuck; second, compressing and decompressing a file is not without its risks and you might corrupt your file in the process; and third, you are relying on your recipient being capable of decompressing or unzipping your file on the other end.
Leaving these aside, here’s how to do it:
Select the video file or the folder if you have other associated files such as subtitles
Right click the file or folder, and choose Compress
Apple will zip the file or folder and deposit an archive into the same folder where it is located
If the new zip folder is under 100MB, drop it into Messages and send it like normal
Pros: It only takes a couple of clicks, and you avoid the 100MB file size limit using one of Apple’s own green-friendly tools.
Cons: You might damage the video file, your recipient will have to decompress and might not be confident to do so, and you might not be able to get it down under 100MB, anyway.
The Best Way to Send a Large Video File with Messages
Reviewing all four options, it’s clear that there’s a winner: Smash! Consider the different options and how they stack up in the table below:
| Smash | iCloud | Google Drive | Compress/Zip | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free or Subscription | Free or Subscription | Free |
| Speed | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Security | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Resolution/Quality | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★ |
| Environmental Impact | ★★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★★ |
Only Smash ticks all the boxes for transferring a large video by Messages:
It is free to transfer a video file of any size to anyone at any time
It is lightning fast – the moment that your file is uploaded it is ready to download
It secures your files at the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 256 bits standard and uses the SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/ Transport Layer Security) protocols to protect data during the transfer between the application and the servers
It never impacts the quality of your video – what you upload is what you send, no compression required
It is environmentally friendly – read how Smash stacks up against email and cloud storage when it comes to being green
You can try Smash for free at the web portal or on one of the dedicated apps for iOS or the Mac. You don’t need an account to get started, you don’t need to pay a subscription, and you don’t need to edit your video file to something under 2GB like some other file transfer services: Smash is free no matter how large your video might be!
Need To Send Large Video Files on iMessages?
Use Smash, it’s no file size limits, simple, fast, secure and free.
Frequently Asked Questions
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It’s true: at Smash, there are no limits on the size of the file that you are sending with Smash. No matter how big your video file might be, Smash can send it where you need to go in complete security, and lightning fast, too.
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Absolutely. Smash encrypts your transfer using market leading protocols, and you can use additional password protections to be extra sure that the person downloading your file is the person you want to be downloading your file. Even better? That password protection is not a paid upgrade, it is free for each and every user.
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It’s free as in beer – you won’t pay a cent to use Smash to transfer a large video via Messages. There is a premium tier at Smash offering additional features, and there is an API for developers, too, that charges a subscription. But sending a video from your Apple device via Messages? That’s free, no matter how large that file might be.
