iPhone YouTube App – How to Enable Full Quality Uploads

To upload full quality videos from the iPhone YouTube app, open YouTube, tap your profile picture, tap Settings, then tap Uploads. If you see an Upload quality option, tap it and choose Full Quality. If that option is not in your version of the app, there is nothing to switch on. In that case, a video that looks blurry right after you upload it is usually still being processed by YouTube.

This guide covers the YouTube app on iPhone and iPad. It explains where the upload settings are, what to do when Upload quality is missing, how to make sure your iPhone is recording in HD or 4K in the first place, and how to check that the finished video really is available in high quality.

What “Full Quality” Means

Older versions of the YouTube app could shrink a video before sending it, which made the upload faster but lowered the resolution. Resolution is the number of pixels in the picture, written as 720p, 1080p (Full HD) or 2160p (4K). The Upload quality setting controlled that. With Full Quality selected, the app sent the video file at its original resolution instead of a smaller copy.

One thing to know before you look for it: YouTube’s current help article for iPhone and iPad, Upload YouTube videos, lists only one option under Settings > Uploads, which is Upload over Wi-Fi only. It does not mention Upload quality. So you may or may not have the option, depending on your app version. The steps below work either way.

How to Enable Full Quality Uploads in the iPhone YouTube App

Before you start, update the YouTube app from the App Store and sign in to the channel you upload to. If you use more than one channel, check the setting again after you switch, since it may not carry over.

1. Open the YouTube app.
2. Tap your profile picture. Result: your account page or menu opens.
3. Tap Settings. On some versions this is a gear icon. Result: the list of app settings appears.
4. Tap Uploads. On older versions of the app, scroll down the Settings list until you reach a section called Uploads instead.
5. If Upload quality is listed, tap it and choose Full Quality. Result: future uploads use the original file instead of a smaller copy.
6. While you are here, decide whether to turn on Upload over Wi-Fi only. See the warning in the next section first.

The setting applies to videos you upload from now on. It does not change videos that are already on your channel. To get a better copy of an older video, you would need to upload the original file again as a new video.

To undo the change, go back to the same screen and pick one of the lower resolutions. The only reason to do that is to save time and data on a slow or limited connection.

Warning: Full Quality Uploads Use More Data and Time

High-resolution video files are large. Apple notes in its guide to recording video with your iPhone camera that faster frame rates and higher resolutions result in larger video files. Uploading one over cellular can use a big part of a limited data plan.

To keep uploads off cellular data, YouTube’s help article gives this path: tap your profile picture, tap Settings, tap Uploads, then turn on Upload over Wi-Fi only. With it on, connect to Wi-Fi before you upload. Turn it off again if you need to upload while away from Wi-Fi and have the data to spare.

If You Don’t See Upload Quality

If your Uploads screen shows only Upload over Wi-Fi only, your version of the app does not offer a quality choice, and there is no hidden switch to find elsewhere. That matches what YouTube currently documents. Do these three things instead:

• Don’t confuse it with Video quality preferences. That setting, also in the YouTube app’s Settings, controls how videos look when you watch them. It has no effect on what you upload.
• Check how the video was recorded. YouTube can’t add detail that isn’t in the file. The next section shows where to look.
• Give YouTube time to process the video. This is the most common reason a new upload looks soft, and it fixes itself.

Make Sure Your iPhone Records in HD or 4K

A full quality upload can only be as sharp as the original recording. Apple gives two ways to check or change the recording format:

• In the Camera app: open Camera, select Video mode, and look at the resolution and frame rate values at the top of the screen. Tap a value to change it.
• In Settings: open the iPhone Settings app, tap Camera, then tap Record Video, and select from the formats and frame rates your iPhone supports.

The choices depend on your iPhone model. Apple lists HD and 4K, at frame rates from 24 to 120 frames per second (fps), depending on the model. Our guide on how to record 4K video on an iPhone walks through these options in more detail.

A change here only affects new recordings. Videos already in your Photos library keep the resolution they were shot in. Also note that videos you received through a messaging app, or trimmed and exported from another app, may have been compressed before they reached your library.

You do not need to convert iPhone videos before uploading. YouTube’s list of supported file formats includes .MOV, .MP4 and HEVC (H.265).

Why a New Upload Looks Low Quality at First

YouTube says that when you upload a video, it is first processed in low quality so the upload can finish faster. The video becomes available to watch in low quality first. Higher qualities such as 1080p and 4K take more time, and in its article on low video quality after upload, YouTube says the higher qualities may seem to be missing for several hours.

How long it takes depends on the video’s format, length, frame rate and resolution, and on how busy YouTube is. YouTube gives these examples:

• 4K videos are four times larger than 1080p videos, and it can take four times longer for 4K quality to be available after the upload finishes.
• A 60-minute 4K video at 30fps can take up to 4 hours to finish high-resolution processing.
• A 4K video at 60fps takes longer still.

So if you upload a 4K clip and it tops out at 360p a few minutes later, that is expected. You don’t need to delete it and upload again.

How to Confirm Your Video Uploaded in Full Quality

1. Open your video’s watch page in the YouTube app.
2. In the video player, tap Settings (the gear icon).
3. Tap Quality.
4. Tap Advanced to see the list of resolutions.

If the list goes up to the resolution you recorded in, such as 1080p or 2160p, the full quality version is ready. If the higher options are not there yet, YouTube says the video is still being processed in the background. Check again later.

Keep in mind that when playback quality is set to Auto, YouTube adjusts the picture to your connection and screen size. Your video can look soft on your phone even when the high-resolution version exists. Picking a resolution under Advanced shows you the real thing. YouTube explains these choices in Change the quality of your video.

Troubleshooting

• There is no Uploads item in Settings. Update the YouTube app and make sure you are signed in. YouTube also notes that uploading may not be available with supervised accounts.
• The upload won’t start. If Upload over Wi-Fi only is on and you are on cellular, connect to Wi-Fi or turn the switch off.
• The video is still low quality the next day. Check the original in the Photos app. If the original is sharp, upload it again from a strong Wi-Fi connection, choosing the file straight from your library.
• YouTube won’t accept a long video. By default you can upload videos up to 15 minutes long. YouTube’s article on uploading videos longer than 15 minutes explains how to verify your account to lift that limit.
• A vertical clip became a Short. YouTube uploads square or vertical videos of 3 minutes or less as Shorts. That is a format rule, not a quality setting.
• Your iPhone is running out of room. 4K videos fill storage quickly. See our guide on iPhone space management for places to free up space.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the upload quality setting in the YouTube app on iPhone?

Tap your profile picture, tap Settings, then tap Uploads. On app versions that include it, Upload quality is on that screen. YouTube’s current help article only lists Upload over Wi-Fi only there, so the quality option may not appear for you.

Does YouTube reduce the quality of iPhone videos?

YouTube processes every upload into several resolutions so it can play on different devices and connections. A new video is available in low quality first, and higher qualities like 1080p and 4K are added once processing finishes. The highest quality offered can’t be higher than the video you uploaded.

How long does a 4K upload take to show up in 4K?

It varies with length and frame rate. YouTube’s example is that a 60-minute 4K video at 30fps can take up to 4 hours to finish high-resolution processing after the upload completes. Shorter videos are generally quicker.

Can I upload 4K video to YouTube from an iPhone?

Yes, if your iPhone model records 4K and the video was shot in 4K. Check the format under Settings > Camera > Record Video on the iPhone. After uploading, wait for processing, then look for 2160p under Quality > Advanced in the player.

Does the upload setting change how videos look when I watch YouTube?

No. Upload settings only affect the videos you send to YouTube. Playback quality is set separately under Settings > Video quality preferences, which our guide on watching YouTube videos on the iPhone covers.

Next Step

Record a short test clip in the resolution you want, upload it over Wi-Fi, and check the Quality list in the player after it has had time to process. Once the video is up, you may want to see how to watch YouTube on your TV from the iPhone app to view it on a bigger screen.