Some Android users that prefer sending videos via MMS have had a hard time because they get the “Message not sent, couldn’t resize video” prompt. There are multiple reasons for this occurrence, but most of them fall to MMS limitations and the fact that this technology is outdated. Learn how to overcome this problem with the instructions we provided below.
Table of contents:
- Share the Google Photos link
- Use RCS Chat Features
- Use a Video editor of sorts to resize the video
- Try instant messengers
How to resize a video to send by text?
You can resize a video to send via text (using MMS) if the video is not too big to be resized. The app will resize a 5MB video but can’t do much with a 50MB video. The best way is to just send the Google Photos link so recipients can access it. It can be a 5GB video or 10MB video — size is of no importance here.
You can also use RCS features, edit the video to shrink it before sending, or just use an instant messenger.
1. Share the Google Photos link
We’re aware that this is not exactly what you were looking forward but the MMS technology is outdated in this time and age. It sounds completely anachronistic to be limited to 3 or so megabytes these days. Videos recorded with contemporary smartphones are too large to fit the 3.5MB limit. So, a better option is to simply share the Google Photos link with the video. That way, the recipient can access the video file without any need to resize it or compress it to fit the MMS file size limit.
Here’s how to share the Google Photos link with text messages:
- Open Google Photos and select the video you want to send.
- Tap on the Share button at the bottom and select “Create link“. The link will get copied to the clipboard automatically.
- Now, all you have to do is open Messages and select the conversation. You can add a new recipient from the top.
- Paste the link and send it as a text message.
2. Use RCS Chat Features
Now, MMS and SMS are outdated technologies but they still have their purpose. Especially the latter. However, when it comes to multimedia files, you’ll be better off with any of the numerous instant messaging apps. The problem with those is that not everyone uses the same app. Some friends or family members use WhatsApp, some swear by Telegram, and others rely on Messenger or something else.
That’s where the RCS comes into play. A new messaging standard that uses network connections to send much bigger files and provides additional features. Like old technologies but on steroids, analogous to iMessage on iPhones.
The adoption is not exactly going stellar at the moment, but more and more Android users that use Google Messages have access to RCS these days. If you want to enable this feature, follow these instructions:
- Open Messages.
- Tap on the 3-dots menu and select Settings.
- Open Chat features.
- Toggle ON the Enable chat features option. Wait until your number is verified so you can start sharing more advanced text messages along with multimedia files.
Recipients must have RCS enabled, as well. Otherwise, they won’t be able to receive multimedia files, just simple texts.
3. Use a Video editor of sorts to resize the video
Messages can resize videos to some extent before sending but if you have, say, a 50MB video, there’s no chance that the app can shrink it enough so you can send it as an MMS.
If you don’t have any other option, you can use a video editor of sorts to cut the video and shorten it to fit the file size limit imposed by MMS. You can do that in Google Photos, use a built-in tool (usually in the Galery app), or try third-party video editors.
4. Try instant messengers
We know that many of you dislike instant messengers but it’s the last option that we’re aware of. If you just need to send a video or photo fast and get a response, your best choice is to find an instant messenger that fits your needs and stick with it. There are many pros and cons for each instant messenger out there but the most important thing is that both you and your circle use it as, on the surface, they all offer fairly similar features.
And, with that said, we can conclude this article. We thank you for reading and hope that this was an informative read. Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.
Editor’s note: This article was initially published in March 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
