Convert 3GP to MP4
3GP is essentially an MP4 with tighter constraints, built for early smartphones. Same file format, same codecs (H.263, MPEG-4 Part 2, AMR audio). Wave rewrites the container without touching the streams.
What actually changes
3GP was defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project to standardise multimedia messages on Nokia, Motorola, and early smartphone hardware. Its container is a subset of MP4 - same box structure, just with limits on which codecs and bitrates are allowed.
The conversion is a straight re-mux: box types get rewritten from 3gp / 3g2 to mp42, the moov atom is moved to the front for fast-start playback, and nothing about the audio or video changes. Quality is exactly the same as the source. A small caveat: AMR narrow-band audio is legal inside MP4 but plays inconsistently on desktop players, so Wave re-encodes AMR audio to AAC where it detects it.
Three steps.
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01
Step 1
Drop the 3GP file onto the card.
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Step 2
Wave shows Fast copy - no re-encode needed.
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Step 3
Convert and save the MP4.
Answers, specifically.
Why do my 3GP files look so blurry?
They were captured on phone cameras with 176×144 or 320×240 sensors, at bitrates designed for MMS. The MP4 will look identical because Wave doesn't re-encode - the resolution and quality are the source's, not the container's.
What's the difference between 3GP and 3G2?
3GP was for GSM networks; 3G2 was for CDMA (older Verizon, Sprint). File-format-wise they're near-identical and Wave handles both.
The audio sounds tinny - can Wave fix it?
No. AMR audio was designed for voice calls, not music. The audio survives, encoded to AAC, but the source bandwidth is what it is.
My phone recorded landscape but it plays portrait - will that carry over?
Rotation metadata copies. If your source has a rotation flag, the MP4 will too, and modern players will honour it.
Are 3GP files still worth keeping?
For archival memory purposes, yes - many are the only remaining copies of moments from 2003-2010. Converting to MP4 is a good preservation move.