3GP file and 3G2 file are the video file formats named by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) developer company. The 3G2 video format is the second version of 3GP that was optimized in terms of bandwidth and space. The primary purpose of the 3GP and 3G2 video format was to send and receive the file on the 3G internet, but they can also work well on 4G networks and modern devices.
We will share a complete guide on what are 3GP and 3G2 file, the devices and software support playing 3GP and 3G2 files, and how you can convert 3G2 and 3GP to MP4 format.
Table of Contents
What Is 3GP File Format and What's The Relationship between 3GP and 3GPP
1. What Is 3GP File Format
- The 3GP file format is developed to record and play multimedia files.
- It was primarily designed for 3G phones but can also work on 2G and 4G.
- The primary purpose of the 3GP format was to make file sharing and storage easier.
- It is more accessible with less use of memory and bandwidth.
- The media format of 3GP is based on ISO media file format.
- It captures or records the videos in the H.263 format.
- It uses the audio stream of AMR-WB, AMR-WB+, AMR-NB, HE-AAC v1, AAC-LC, or Enhanced aacPlus.
- The extension for the 3GP files is .3GP or .3GPP.
3GP was designed to be used on all the 3G phones and can be played on 4G and 2G, whereas it was only applicable for CDMA-based (Code Division Multiple Access) phones.
2. What Is 3GPP
3GPP stands for The 3rd Generation Partnership Project, and it is responsible for developing the globally accepted specifications for third-generation platforms. The organization comprised various telecommunication associations to develop a globally accepted standard networking system.
3. Relationship Between 3GP and 3GPP
3GP is a multimedia container type designed primarily for 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) services, which is created by The Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP). 3GPP, on the alternative hand, is an international partnership of telecommunications organizations.
Their goal was to develop a worldwide third-generation (3G) mobile phone system definition based on GSM (The Global System for Mobile Communications) specifications developed by the International Telecommunication Union's IMT-2000 project.
What Is 3G2 File Format and What's The Relationship between 3G2 and 3GPP2
1. What Is 3G2 File Format
- 3G2 is maintained by Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2).
- It is an updated version of 3GP but is designed for optimized use in terms of bandwidth and space.
- It was a lot easier to send on the internet with the slow speed of that time but soon proved to be obsolete.
- It has limitations in audio and video streams as compared to 3GP.
- A few more supported audio streams such as SMV, EVRC, EVRC-B, EVRC-WB, and QCELP.
- The only advantage it had was less space and less internet, which was a treasure at that time.
2. What Is 3GPP2?
- 3GPP2 stands for The 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2, and it is similar to 3GPP.
- The main difference between the 3GPP and 3GPP2 is that 3GPP2 focuses on standardizing CDMA2000, whereas 3GPP deals with UMTS.
- 3GPP mainly dominates wireless networking worldwide.
- Moreover, various companies like USA’s Verizon and India’s Reliance use CDMA2000.
- The standard CDMA2000 platform is important in the form of 3GPP2.
3. Relationship Between 3G2 and 3GPP2
The 3GPP2 standard telecommunication services develop the 3G2 file format. The main goal of the 3G2 file format was to minimize size and space usage.
Moreover, it is written based on ISO base media files. It is still in use with the 3rd generation phones of USA’s Verizon and India’s Reliance, and the program is written in CDMA2000.
How to Open A 3GP Video on Different Devices
You can open files with .3gp or .3gpp extension on a computer or 2G/3G/4G Smartphones with the 3GP media players listed below.
Platform |
3GP Players |
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| For Mac |
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| For Linux |
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| For Android |
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| For iOS |
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The steps to play a .3gp video are the same as playing other common video formats:
- Open your device, whether it is a computer or smartphone
- Download the media player, such as Microsoft movies or the Microsoft media player
- Double-click on your 3GP file
- The file will open
How to Open A 3G2 Video
The playing of 3G2 videos is limited by their supported players and devices. There are not many options to open the 3G2 files. A few easy steps will help you play the video files with .3g2 extension.
- Download and install the appropriate player for your device that supports .3g2 file extension
- Double-click on your 3G2 video file
- Your file is open now!
Platform |
3G2 Players |
| For Windows |
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| For Mac |
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| For Linux |
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| For Android |
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| For iOS |
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How to Convert 3GP/3G2 to MP4
It is always better to convert your old 3GP and 3G2 video files to a more usable format like MP4 so that you can play and send them without any difficulty. There are many online tools and video converter apps that enable you to convert both 3GP and 3G2 to MP4 easily.
1. Online Free Video Converter for 3GP, 3G2 to MP4
If you want to convert just one or two videos, it is a waste of time to download and run a software. Instead, you can use online free tools to complete the conversion on web browser. Convertio, Online-Convert, and Cloudconvert are the three most popular online free file converters.
It allows users to convert their 3GP and 3G2 files to any format, including the mp4. Other than just video files, you can also convert a whole range of documents and files from presentations to images and videos.
It is another platform to change the video format. It provides the advantages of controlling the quality and other features of the video, such as the sound quality, FPS, resolution, size and width, bitrate, file size, and further details. You can select the 3GP and 3G2 video files from the device, dropbox, drive, or paste the URL.
It would not be too exaggerated to combine both of the above converters. It provides a customizable video format, and you can change the sound quality, FPS, resolution, size and width, bitrate, file size, and other details.
You can not only convert video, but it also offers a whole range of images and documents in all formats to convert to any design.
The converting from 3GP or 3G2 to MP4 with the above 3 online free tools follows the 4 same steps below:
- Step 1: Go to the website. Select the file type that you want to convert and the file type you want to convert to( 3G2 or 3GP to MP4 in this case).
- Step 2: Upload your .3G2/.3GP files from a computer, mobile devices, one drive, google drive, or dropbox.
- Step 3: Click on the Convert button to start the conversion.
- Step 4: Download the converted video after the 3G2 or 3GP to MP4 conversion process completion.
2. Convert 3G2, 3GP to MP4 Using Video Converter Software
If you have a long list of 3GP and 3G2 videos you want to convert to MP4, it is recommended to use video converter software. Compared to online tools, a video converter software works more efficiently and has no limitations on file size and file quantity. One of the professional jet easy-to-use programs for performing this conversion is Wondershare UniConverter. The 3GP/3G2 to MP4 conversion can be done in 3 simple steps with UniConverter:
- Step 1: Launch Wondershare 3GP to MP4 converter and add 3GP files.
- Step 2: Select MP4 as the output format for the 3GP to MP4 conversion.
- Step 3: Click Start All button to start converting 3GP to MP4.
How to Recover Lost or Deleted 3GP and 3G2 Video Files
There are many reasons for the loss of 3GP and 3G2 files, including the formatting/damage/corruption of your Smartphone SD card, improper removal, accidental recycle bin emptying and more.
In this case, you can use Wondershare Recoverit which is free to download in the initial version. The awarded patented technology for video fragment file recovery makes Recoverit the finest video recovery software for both Windows and Mac.
Wondershare Recoverit - Recover Your Precious Videos
5,481,435 people have downloaded it.
Save your accidentally deleted videos, and also repair the broken videos.
Restore videos from all kinds of storage drives like USB Drive, SD cards, SSDs, HDDs, Floppy Disks, Pen Drive, etc.
Besides all popular video formats, such as MP4, AVI, MOV, 3GP, 3G2, M4A, etc., corrupted Ultra HD 4K, and 8K videos are scanned, collected, and matched, ensuring that the majority of your videos are recovered.
Preview files before you recover them.
You can restore your files using the Wondershare 3GP recovery tool in the following easy steps:
Step1Launch the 3G2/3GP Video Recovery Software and choose the file location where you lost the files.
Step2Click the "Scan" button to start searching for the lost 3G2 or 3GP files.
Step3Preview and click the "Recover" button to recover the desired 3GP or 3G2 video.
Step4Enhanced Recovery
You may use the "Enhanced Recovery" option to conduct a thorough search for large-scale or deeply hidden 3GP/3G2 video content.
Tips: Suppose your 3GP or 3G2 files became corrupted, truncated, or broken, Recoverit also features video repair.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.10 or later
The Bottom Line
3GP and 3G2 file formats were launched to send the video data to another person using the slower 3G internet system. They were revolutionary at that time and are still used by some firms. Changing the 3GP and 3G2 to MP4 video format is better because few devices and software can support them. We hope this guide was helpful to you.