Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Upload your MP4 file
Select your MP4 file. Most modern phones produce 1080p MP4 with H.264. The conversion will downscale and re-encode for legacy phone playback.
Go to converter - 2
Choose 3GP as output format
Select 3GP. The output uses H.263 video at 176×144 (QCIF) or 320×240 (QVGA), AMR-NB or AAC-LC audio at 12.2–32 kbps. Total bitrate is typically under 384 kbps.
- 3
Adjust resolution and bitrate
Lower resolution (176×144) for old feature phones; higher (320×240) for older smartphones. Bitrate around 192–256 kbps gives recognisable quality at very small file sizes — under 5 MB for a 1-minute video.
- 4
Download and transfer to your phone
Send the 3GP via MMS, Bluetooth, or copy via USB. The file extension .3gp is recognized by virtually every phone manufactured since 2003.
Why convert MP4 to 3GP?
3GP is the format that brought video to mobile phones in the early 2000s. It's still alive on millions of feature phones in emerging markets where bandwidth and storage are precious.
Your files never leave your device
FormatDrop runs the conversion engine entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. No file upload. No server. Nothing stored. You can verify this by opening DevTools → Network tab and watching: zero upload requests.
Frequently asked questions
FFmpeg command to convert MP4 to 3GP?
Why is my 3GP file blurry?
Can iPhones play 3GP?
No account. No upload. Works in any browser.