The short answer
When you send a photo normally, WhatsApp re-encodes it (rescaling and re-compressing to save bandwidth) and removes EXIF metadata — camera details, timestamps and GPS included. The file a recipient gets is a new image: same picture, different bytes, no metadata story.
The exception: "Document" mode
Attach as Document instead of Photo and WhatsApp transfers the file essentially untouched — full resolution, EXIF intact, GPS intact. Great for photographers delivering work. Dangerous for privacy: people routinely share originals as documents believing the platform strips them. It doesn't.
What survives a normal send
- The pixels — re-compressed, typically downscaled (with HD option for higher quality in newer versions).
- Filename patterns — "IMG-20240517-WA0028.jpg" betrays the WhatsApp hop even with metadata gone (PictureMatters' filename forensics flags exactly this pattern).
- Re-encode fingerprints — the compression structure itself is evidence of platform processing.
- Gone: camera EXIF, GPS, timestamps, XMP workflow data.
What this means if you receive photos
A WhatsApp-received photo cannot testify about its origin — don't treat its missing metadata as suspicious. If provenance matters, ask the sender for the original via document mode or another channel, then run it through the EXIF viewer. The report's Journey section will typically classify a normal send as "passed through a platform or app."
What this means if you send photos
- For privacy: normal send is your friend — GPS and device data are stripped for you.
- For verification work: normal send destroys evidence; use document mode to preserve originals.
- For quality: document mode also avoids re-compression artifacts.
Other messengers, briefly
Telegram compresses standard sends too, with a "Send as file" option preserving originals. Signal strips metadata on normal sends and offers no document mode by design. iMessage generally preserves metadata between Apple devices. The pattern is consistent: convenience sends strip, file-transfer sends preserve.