WhatsApp testing picture-in-picture video playback for Android

Facebook said it has been testing a WhatsApp Business tool for months with more than 90 companies, including Uber and Singapore Airlines. — AFP Relaxnews

One of the problems with WhatsApp on Android is that you can’t play videos within the app itself.

Instead, if you click on a link, you will be taken to another platform like YouTube or Instagram.

But all that is about to change. According to website Android Police, WhatsApp is currently testing a picture-in-picture video playback mode in a beta version (v2.18.301).

In the beta version, video links from YouTube, Instagram and Facebook will pop-up with a preview image and a Play button.

And all the user has to do is hit play and the video will play within WhatsApp. Also, users can then continue having a conversation on WhatsApp while the video is still playing.

However the important bit is that the sender has to exercise some patience – the person has to wait for the preview image to load in WhatsApp. Otherwise the other person is just going to get the usual link to view the video on the platform itself.

The picture-in-picture video playback mode is already available for iOS users. 

If you can’t wait to get the feature, you can click on this link to try out the unreleased version of WhatsApp messenger on the official Play Store beta program.

Otherwise, just wait for the next WhatsApp update which will, hopefully, have this feature.