[Update – October 25: WhatsApp has rolled out Swipe to Reply feature for all the Android users]
Earlier: WhatsApp is rolling out yet another beta update to Android which brings the version number to 2.18.301. This update brings the Picture-in-Picture mode. This mode enables users to play videos on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram right within WhatsApp.
From now, when you receive a link to videos in WhatsApp, you can play the videos within the app and don’t have to leave the conversation. This feature was earlier spotted in testing back in August and it did take a good two months time to enter into beta. If you remember, WhatsApp has rolled out the update to iOS back in November 2017.
Post the update, when you tap the play icon, WhatsApp will show you the video in Picture in Picture mode, so you can continue to navigate in the chat while the video is playing in the background.
However, when you switch to another chat, the PiP disappears which doesn’t happen on iOS, so we can expect an update for Android that will fix this small issue. So, if you haven’t updated WhatsApp, you can sign up for the beta to try out the feature.
A couple of days back Android beta for WhatsApp got Swipe to Reply feature, years after WhatsApp for iOS got it. This lets you quickly reply to a message using a gesture. WhatsApp for Android also has tap and hold + type to reply feature.