What you need to know
- Google announced that Ultra HDR images and 10-bit HDR video in Instagram were coming to Pixel phones as part of the March Feature Drop.
- Now, Ultra HDR images and 10-bit HDR video are also available in Threads following a recent update.
- Instagram has supported HDR video since last year. It added Ultra HDR support for images this year, with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series being the first to work with the feature.
Meta is on a quest to bring high-quality images and video to its social media platforms, starting with HDR video for Instagram Reels. Now, both 10-bit HDR video and Ultra HDR images are headed to the Threads app on Google Pixel phones. The move, first spotted by 9to5Google, isn't all that surprising. Meta and Google first announced that the new video standards were coming to Instagram on Pixel as part of the March Feature Drop.
Though Google released the March Feature Drop in most regions last week, it is only available in the U.S. as of today, March 11. According to the company, photos and videos with "brilliant colors, brighter intensity, and higher contrast" can be uploaded to Instagram. The Instagram app can be used for both recording and uploading 10-bit HDR videos to the platform. Ultra HDR photos can only be uploaded to Instagram.
The same changes are now coming to the Threads app. It was last updated earlier this month, according to the Google Play Store listing. We're seeing March 4 as the date of the most recent update, per the listing, but 9to5Google reported seeing a March 8 update. It's possible that the Threads app update might be staggered based on user region since U.S. users can't make use of the feature until today, anyway. Either way, the official update release notes merely reference bug fixes and other improvements without any specifics.
Google announced that 10-bit HDR video and Ultra HDR images will be available on Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, or Pixel Fold devices with the Instagram app. Those same devices can also use 10-bit HDR video and Ultra HDR images in Threads. Since Instagram and Threads are so interconnected, it makes sense for the feature to arrive on both platforms around the same time.
Neither Instagram nor Threads explicitly denote which photos and videos have been captured in either 10-bit HDR or Ultra HDR formats. However, keen-eyed users will be able to spot the difference, provided they have a phone that supports viewing HDR on Instagram or Threads.
Google isn't the first to bring HDR support on Instagram or Threads to the smartphone. Samsung did so with the Galaxy S24 series earlier this year.
