The owners of old Google Pixel phones are encountering a strange issue with WhatsApp where the shared videos and GIFs are turning green in chats. This issue seems to be affecting old Pixel devices including Pixel 3, 3XL, 3a, Pixel 4, 4XL, and Pixel 4a, while users rocking Pixel 5 or above are safe. When users play the shared videos in chat, it only displays a green screen, while the audio works without any issues.
What’s causing videos and GIFs to appear green in WhatsApp?
With no other Android users reporting such a problem, we can assume that it’s probably the outdated software on these aged Pixel phones causing this glitch. The Pixel 4a, which was the last to lose software support among all the affected devices, lost its eligibility for updates more than a year ago (last updated in August 2023). Therefore, the outdated software might have something to do with this WhatsApp green video glitch on older Pixel phones.
Another possibility could be the recent WhatsApp beta bug that turns the whole screen green when users open a chat. This bug affected Android devices running WhatsApp beta version 2.24.24.5. It’s possible that this glitch made it through to the stable version on the Pixel phones, messing up the video rendering. Whatever is causing this glitch, has made it impossible for these users to share videos through WhatsApp.
Workarounds for WhatsApp videos turning green
Interestingly, this glitch only affects those videos that are shot on the device, while other videos such as forwarded or downloaded ones remain unaffected. Unfortunately, neither WhatsApp nor Google has acknowledged this bug, but some workarounds can help you avoid this bug.
1. Send videos as document
Videos are turning green when they are being sent directly on WhatsApp. However, sending videos in a different format can do the trick. Those affected can try sending videos as a document. This way not only the video will work, but you’ll also be able to maintain its quality as the document format does not compress the video.
- For that, open a chat on WhatsApp, then tap on attach icon
- Look for Document and click it. Now, select Choose from gallery
- Now select the video you want to send and that’s it.
2. Use a different device or WhatsApp Web
Since this glitch affects only the old Pixel phones, you can switch to a different device temporarily. Alternatively, you can also use WhatsApp Web on your computer for sending videos. Simply save the video you want to send on your computer and then send it via WhatsApp Web.
3. Use an alternative app for sharing videos
WhatsApp isn’t the only app for sharing videos. Until this bug gets resolved, you can use other social media apps for sharing videos. A great alternative would be Telegram. You can also use Instagram, Snapchat, Signal, WeChat, and others.
4. Downgrade WhatsApp to the old version
A user was able to work around this glitch by downgrading WhatsApp to version 2.24.22.79. So, those still struggling with this bug can downgrade their WhatsApp and see if it works. To do so:
- Uninstall the current WhatsApp app
- Download and install the WhatsApp version 2.24.22.79
(Caution: If you are going to downgrade, make sure to take a backup of your photos and videos)
We hope that this article helped you solve the green videos glitch on your Pixel phone. If you have any solution that has worked, feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.