With each iterative update, WhatsApp is making the most-requested features available to its userbase. The Facebook-owned messenger has today rolled out an update for its iOS app, allowing users to watch YouTube videos right within the app itself. You no longer have to leave the messaging app to binge on videos while texting your friends.
Now, when you receive a YouTube link on WhatsApp, you simply need to tap on the same to view the video in picture-in-picture mode right inside the chat window. You can then choose to stay and chat in the same window or navigate to another chat as the video continues to play. You can see how the YouTube videos appear within the WhatsApp chat window underneath:
Though the changelog on the App Store mentions that the feature has been rolled out with the latest update, WhatsApp probably forgot to activate it from the server end. We have been tipped about the same by well-known WhatsApp leakster WABetaInfo, who said that the feature is going to be enabled today.
I tried using the YouTube PiP mode on WhatsApp Messenger (v 2.17.81) on my iPhone 8 Plus running iOS 11. But, it didn’t work and the video opened in the browser instead of the chat window itself. This means the company did actually forget to flip the switch on the said YouTube integration.
I’m eagerly waiting for WhatsApp to enable the feature because it solves one of the biggest annoyances with iOS. Apple’s mobile operating system does not have a split-screen feature similar to Android, where you can use YouTube and WhatsApp together. Earlier I had to put a hold on my chats to watch any YouTube video forwarded to me, but the picture-in-picture mode makes my life easier. Have you also been waiting for the release of this feature? Let us know in the comments down below.
