Google recently introduced Ultra HDR support to its default Android messaging app, Google Messages. This update allows users on Android 14 to share vivid, true to life photos through RCS chats in the app.
Android Authority first spotted the new addition prior to the launch of the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The publication also noted that Android Messages now retains Ultra HDR metadata when photos are sent. This suggests potential for expanded capabilities going forward.
Understanding Ultra HDR Imaging
HDR photography delivers images that more closely mimic what the human eye perceives in real life. The process merges multiple photos taken at different exposures into one shot.
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By compiling data from dark and bright areas of a scene, HDR provides images with richer shadows, more realistic highlights and increased detail. The result is a noticeably expanded range of tones that enhances realism.
Ultra HDR takes this concept even further by embedding HDR data directly into JPEG images as metadata. When viewed on standard dynamic range displays, Ultra HDR photos look normal. But they reveal dramatically boosted color, contrast, and clarity on HDR screens.
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To wield the format’s powers, Android users need three key ingredients:
- A device powered by Android 14 or above, such as Google’s Pixel 8 flagship series
- An app with Ultra HDR support, like the updated Google Messages app
- An HDR display to unlock the images’ hidden prowess
Bringing Next-Gen Photo Fidelity to Android Chats
By integrating Ultra HDR compatibility into Google Messages, Android’s premier messaging app empowers users to share photos with spectacular accuracy. Images sent in chat showcase:
- Precisely rendered color for true-to-life faces and landscapes
- Enhanced lighting and detail across highlights and shadows
- An extended range of brightness levels from dark to light
As a result, Ultra HDR photos sent through Messages communicate scenes just as they appeared in real life, recreating subtle textures, dimensions, and lighting that more basic JPEGs miss.
Google’s adoption of HDR technology marks a watershed moment for Android’s messaging abilities. With over 100 million people using Messages daily, Ultra HDR support promises more life-like, face-to-face-quality communication, even from afar.
The Future is Brighter with HDR Messaging
As smartphone screens, cameras, and apps increasingly adopt HDR, mobile images inch closer to matching human vision.
For Android users, that means the premier messaging experience offered by Google Messages will only become more impressive over time. Photos shared in the app may soon boast even more stunning color accuracy, brightness, and realism than what Ultra HDR achieves today.
While it may take years for HDR technology to become mainstream, Google maintains Android’s standing at the apex of mobile visual innovation by integrating Ultra HDR into Messages.
As developers uncover more techniques for displaying dynamic range in apps, Android users can expect a messaging experience with unparalleled image quality in the palm of their hands.
