WhatsApp Update: Now continue doing your work while watching videos

WhatsApp is working on a new update to improve its picture-in-picture functionality. The new beta version of the Facebook-owned chat application shows that the users can continue to play the videos in PiP mode, even after switching to a different application. An earlier version of PiP on WhatsApp didn't allow this functionality and only permitted the users to play videos from major platforms without having to leave the chat window. Post the update, users can switch the application while watching the video and it will continue to play as a floating pop-up window.

The WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.19.177 adds the functionality. However, the users of the stable version of WhatsApp will have to wait a little longer for the feature to roll-out.  The PiP mode in WhatsApp is now supported by the natively shared videos as well as those generated from other platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

"WhatsApp is finally rolling out the possibility to use PiP when you switch to another chat or when WhatsApp is in the background", said WABetainfo on its Twitter account.

WhatsApp beta for Android 2.19.177: After 3 months, WhatsApp is finally rolling out the possibility to use PiP when you switch to another chat or when WhatsApp is in background!

Read the quoted article to discover how it works and details about the compatibility! https://t.co/hyYFxPB05U

- WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) June 18, 2019

The feature isn't new and has been implemented by several other platforms. YouTube also allows its paid users to play videos even when they switch to other apps. WhatsApp, until now, only allowed the PiP mode to work inside the app. Earlier, you could continue chatting with the contact while watching the video shared within the same chat.

WhatsApp allows users to interact with the video that is being played in the PiP Mode. There is a play/pause button and users can even exit the video if they want to. However, the minimised video isn't resizable and users can only move it around the display area. Therefore, for the moment, users will have to live with the size that WhatsApp picks based on the size of the display area. It should also be noted that the PiP  Mode only works on the phones that run Android 8.0 Oreo or higher.

Edited By: Udit Verma

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