The hidden feature is a part of WhatsApp update version 2.17.40, and this isn’t available for public yet. With the update, WhatsApp users will be available watch YouTube videos in Picture-in-Picture mode without opening YouTube.
WhatsApp is working on a new feature for iOS users that could allow them to view YouTube videos directly on the messaging app. According to a report in WABetaInfo, the hidden feature is a part of WhatsApp update version 2.17.40, and this isn’t available for public yet. With the update, WhatsApp users will be available watch YouTube videos in Picture-in-Picture mode without opening YouTube.
Users can expand a video without pausing it, or slide it to the right to completely hide the video and read chats. There’s a new WhatsApp section that will let users watch videos in full screen mode. These videos won’t open in a different chat window.
“How many times did you receive a YouTube link on WhatsApp and you were annoyed that WhatsApp opened YouTube to view it? Finally this won’t happen anymore: this new feature implemented in WhatsApp uses the Picture in Picture concept to view YouTube videos without opening it,” the report read. The site also posted a video showing how the feature works.
According to the report, the feature is likely to work with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S+, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus thanks to their bigger screen size. There’s no denying that other devices could support the feature in the future as well. It is unclear when the feature will be rolled out for iOS users, and whether Android and Windows will follow soon.
WhatsApp is one of the largest messaging platforms with over 1.2 billion users globally. The Facebook-owned company has steadily been adding features to make its app more useful and fun. WhatsApp now allows for sharing all file types, and groups multiple photos as an album. Another important feature that it added recently is the ability to pin up to three most important group or individual chats to the top of the chat list.
