Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Yes—WhatsApp had a genuine Android bug in late April 2024 that stopped some users from sending locally stored videos. The problem was associated with recent app builds, particularly version 2.24.9.34, and produced the message: “Can’t send this video. Choose a different video and try again.” A newer release, version 2.24.9.71, was reported to resolve it.
This was a historical, uneven app regression—not proof that every Android phone was affected and not evidence of a current platform-wide outage.
What broke in WhatsApp?
The failure affected ordinary video attachments selected from Android device storage, such as videos recorded with the phone’s Camera app or downloaded from another service. WhatsApp could fail while processing the selected video, even when the same phone could still send text messages and photos.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe issue did not necessarily affect every WhatsApp video feature. Sending a locally stored video, forwarding a video already present in a chat, uploading a Status video, recording a circular instant video message, and making a video call can use different paths. The strongest evidence from the April 2024 incident concerns locally selected video files; it should not be generalized to all video functions.
#1 Best Overall
- YOUR CONTENT, SUPER SMOOTH: The ultra-clear 6.7" FHD+ Super AMOLED display of Galaxy A17 5G helps bring your content to life, whether you're scrolling through recipes or video chatting with loved ones.¹
- LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
- MEMORIES MADE PICTURE PERFECT: Capture every angle in stunning clarity, from wide family photos to close-ups of friends, with the triple-lens camera on Galaxy A17 5G.
- NEED MORE STORAGE? WE HAVE YOU COVERED: With an improved 2TB of expandable storage, Galaxy A17 5G makes it easy to keep cherished photos, videos and important files readily accessible whenever you need them.³
- BUILT TO LAST: With an improved IP54 rating, Galaxy A17 5G is even more durable than before.⁴ It’s built to resist splashes and dust and comes with a stronger yet slimmer Gorilla Glass Victus front and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer back.
What error did users see?
“Can’t send this video. Choose a different video and try again.”
The message often appeared after WhatsApp attempted to process the file, rather than as an obvious offline or connection error. Reports suggested that several unrelated local videos could fail, making it less likely that one particular recording was corrupted.
Rank #2
- Carrier: This phone is locked to Tracfone, which means this device can only be used on the Tracfone wireless network. Tracfone plan required, activating is easy, just 3 steps.
- DISPLAY: Immersive viewing on a 6.7-inch super-bright 120Hz display with powerful stereo speakers and Bass Boost for cinematic entertainment.
- CAMERA SYSTEM: Advanced 50MP Quad Pixel camera captures sharp, detailed photos and videos in any lighting condition
- PERFORMANCE: Lightning-fast 5G connectivity paired with a powerful processor and RAM Boost for smooth multitasking.
- BATTERY LIFE: Long-lasting 5000mAh battery with TurboPower charging technology delivers hours of power in minutes.
Other symptoms—such as a video stuck uploading, a missing thumbnail, a format warning, or a file that sends but looks blurry—can indicate different problems. They may involve permissions, storage, file encoding, corruption, or normal WhatsApp compression.
Which Android versions and phones were affected?
Contemporaneous reporting associated the regression with WhatsApp Android version 2.24.9.34. It was observed on multiple Android phones, including Samsung Galaxy S-series devices, but it could not be reproduced on every handset. The evidence supports a widespread but inconsistent Android-app problem, not a failure affecting all Android devices.
Rank #3
- YOUR CONTENT, SUPER SMOOTH: The ultra-clear 6.7" FHD+ Super AMOLED display of Galaxy A17 5G helps bring your content to life, whether you're scrolling through recipes or video chatting with loved ones.¹
- LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
- MEMORIES MADE PICTURE PERFECT: Capture every angle in stunning clarity, from wide family photos to close-ups of friends, with the triple-lens camera on Galaxy A17 5G.
- NEED MORE STORAGE? WE HAVE YOU COVERED: With an improved 2TB of expandable storage, Galaxy A17 5G makes it easy to keep cherished photos, videos and important files readily accessible whenever you need them.³
- BUILT TO LAST: With an improved IP54 rating, Galaxy A17 5G is even more durable than before.⁴ It’s built to resist splashes and dust and comes with a stronger yet slimmer Gorilla Glass Victus front and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer back.
Some locally recorded or downloaded videos were more likely to fail, while certain videos already received through WhatsApp—including some MOV files—could still be forwarded. A forwarded file may take a different processing route because it is already available in WhatsApp’s media storage; that behavior is useful for diagnosis but does not prove the technical root cause.
Was this a WhatsApp outage?
It looked more like an Android client or media-processing regression than a complete WhatsApp outage. Text and photos generally continued to work, some videos could still be forwarded, and the problem was linked to particular app builds.
Rank #4
- PRIVACY DISPLAY: Automatically hide your screen from those beside you. The built-in privacy display can be preset¹ to turn on when receiving notifications, typing passwords, or using specific apps
- TYPE IT IN. TRANSFORM IT FAST: Enhance any shot in seconds on your smartphone by using Photo Assist² with Galaxy AI.³ Add objects, restore details, or apply new styles by simply typing or tapping
- NIGHTS, CAPTURED CLEARLY: From gigs to city lights, record and capture moments after dark with clarity using Nightography so your photos and videos stay crisp and clear on your Samsung Galaxy
- MAKE IT. EDIT IT. SHARE IT: Turn everyday moments into something personal with creative tools built right into your mobile phone, whether it’s a special contact photo, custom wallpaper, an invitation or more⁴
- HELP THAT KEEPS UP: Stay in the moment while Now Nudge with Galaxy AI helps you respond faster and stay organized with smart suggestions⁵ that appear exactly when you need them on your phone
However, contemporaneous coverage also noted that a server-side change may have contributed to the recovery. There is no accessible official engineering explanation in the available evidence, so it would be inaccurate to claim a confirmed codec, Android API, storage framework, or compression-component failure.
How was the bug fixed?
A fix began rolling out on April 30, 2024. Contemporaneous reporting identified WhatsApp Android 2.24.9.71 as the stable version reported to resolve the problem. WhatsApp Beta version 2.24.10.3 was also reported to work.
Best Value
- Carrier: This phone is locked to Tracfone, which means this device can only be used on the Tracfone wireless network. Activating is easy, just 3 steps.
- ACTIVATION Promotion: Includes 1500 min, 1500 texts & 1500 MB Data + add more as you need it
- CAMERA SYSTEM: 50MP Quad Pixel camera. Capture sharper, more vibrant photos day or night with 4x the light sensitivity.
- PERFORMANCE: Blazing-fast Qualcomm performance. Get the speed you need for great entertainment with a Snapdragon 680 processor and 4GB of RAM.
- 64GB built-in storage. Get plenty of room for photos, movies, songs, and apps. Made for US
Those version numbers are historical, not current installation targets in 2026. WhatsApp’s Google Play listing shows that the Android app continued receiving updates, including an update listed on July 3, 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to do if WhatsApp cannot send videos today
If you are seeing a similar error now, start with the safest current remedy: update WhatsApp through Google Play rather than installing an old APK.
- Update WhatsApp. Open Google Play Store, search for WhatsApp Messenger, tap Update if it is available, reopen WhatsApp, and retry.
- Test two different videos. Try a short MP4 recorded with the phone’s camera, a downloaded video, and—if available—a video received in WhatsApp that you can forward.
- Check permissions. Open Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Permissions. Confirm that WhatsApp can access photos and videos. Labels vary by Android version and manufacturer; newer phones may offer selected or limited media access instead of a simple files-and-media switch.
- Check storage. Open Settings → Storage. Very low free space can prevent temporary media files from being created or processed. There is no universal free-space minimum established by the evidence here.
- Restart WhatsApp and the phone. You can also use Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Force stop, then reopen the app and try again. This is a general troubleshooting step, not a confirmed fix for the 2024 regression.
- Try sending the video as a document. Users have reported that the document/file route can sometimes bypass media processing. It is not an official or guaranteed fix. The recipient may need to download the file manually, and the usual preview, captions, and media behavior may differ.
- Try WhatsApp Web or another device temporarily. If the same account sends the file elsewhere, that suggests—but does not prove—that the Android app or phone is involved. A user report also described using WhatsApp Web as a workaround, but this is anecdotal rather than official guidance.
Use the test results to identify the problem
| Test result | More likely explanation |
|---|---|
| Only one video fails | The file may be corrupt, unusually encoded, inaccessible, too large, or stored on disconnected/removable storage. |
| All local videos fail, but forwarded videos work | The Android media picker, permissions, or local-file processing may be involved. |
| Text and photos work, but several local videos fail | This pattern resembles the 2024 Android video-processing regression, especially if the app is outdated. |
| All media and messages fail | Investigate connectivity, permissions, storage, app state, or a broader service problem. |
| The video sends but looks blurry | This is usually a quality or compression issue, not the same as a send failure. |
What not to do
- Do not assume every “Can’t send this video” error is the April 2024 bug.
- Do not delete WhatsApp before confirming that your chats and media are backed up.
- Do not sideload an old APK from an untrusted website. Downgrading to version 2.24.8.85 was mentioned as a historical workaround before the fixed build appeared, but old APKs can contain security risks, lack newer fixes, and create backup or compatibility problems.
- Do not confuse ordinary attached videos with WhatsApp’s circular instant video messages. Meta describes those instant messages separately in its product explanation.
When to contact WhatsApp
Report the issue through WhatsApp → Settings → Help → Contact Us, the support route identified in the current Google Play listing. Include your phone manufacturer and model, Android version, WhatsApp version, when the problem began, the exact error, whether text and photos work, whether every video fails, and whether the issue also affects Status. Add a screenshot if it does not reveal private content.
The bottom line
The Android video-sending problem was real, but it was a resolved April 2024 regression associated with particular WhatsApp builds and file-processing paths. In 2026, update WhatsApp first and isolate the failure with different files and sending routes. If only local videos fail after updating, permissions, storage, encoding, or a device-specific app problem are more plausible than a universal WhatsApp outage.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
