feature request: Server-side video normalisation for wider Android compatibility

[divyanshu-patil]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

When i upload an macbook screen recording, it is stored in .mov file format
which my device cant play due to hardware limitation
this always frustrates me

Problem
Currently, videos uploaded in Apple-specific formats (e.g. .mov from macOS/iOS screen recordings) may fail to play on many Android devices due to hardware decoder limitations.

For example:

• A 720p .mov (Apple screen recording) plays correctly on my Android device.
• The same recording at 1080p fails to play and throws a playback error.
• This is due to Android hardware decoder constraints, not network or app issues.
• Many Android chipsets still do not support higher-resolution .mov / HEVC / ReplayKit-encoded videos, even though lower resolutions work.

This results in:

• Inconsistent playback across devices
• Videos working on emulators but failing on real hardware
• Poor UX with no clear recovery path for users

Why this happens
.mov is an Apple-oriented container and often uses:

• HEVC (H.265)
• Variable frame rate
• High H.264 levels

Android media playback relies on hardware MediaCodec, which varies by chipset and often:

• Rejects HEVC
• Rejects higher resolutions (≥1080p / 4K)
• Fails silently without fallback

This is a platform limitation and cannot be reliably solved client-side.

Describe the solution you'd like
Add server-side video normalization during upload for Apple-specific or unsupported formats:
Detect uploads such as:

• .mov
• video/quicktime
• Apple ReplayKit screen recordings

Automatically convert them to a widely supported format, e.g.:

• Container: mp4
• Video: H.264 (AVC), capped level
• Audio: AAC (if missing, add silent track)
• Resolution capped to a safe maximum (e.g. 1080p)

This would:

• Preserve visual quality (no unnecessary degradation)
• Ensure playback across a much wider range of Android devices
• Avoid client-side hacks or format-specific handling
• Align behavior with how many messaging apps handle cross-platform video uploads

Benefits

• Consistent playback across Android devices and chipsets
• Better user experience (no unexpected playback errors)
• Reduced platform-specific complexity in clients
• Future-proof handling of Apple-specific media formats