WhatsApp Beta Update Adds ‘Picture-in-Picture' Support During Video Calls for iOS Testers: Report

WhatsApp beta testers on iOS can test the feature by switching to other apps while placing a WhatsApp call

Written by Manas Mitul, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 5 December 2022 16:27 IST

WhatsApp Beta Update Adds ‘Picture-in-Picture' Support During Video Calls for iOS Testers: Report

Photo Credit: Bloomberg

WhatsApp recently added a new Polls feature on both iOS and Android

Highlights

WhatsApp already supports PIP for videos shared from YouTube, Facebook
Beta testers can try out the picture-in-picture mode on iOS
New update expected to reach more WhatsApp users in coming days

WhatsApp has reportedly begun testing the ability to use ‘picture-in-picture' (PIP) mode during video calls on iOS. The Meta-owned messaging app continues to develop new features for the popular messaging app, and is rolling out a new update for its beta testers on iOS that will add the feature to use other apps and multitask while video calling via WhatsApp, according to a feature tracker. ‘Picture-in-picture' mode isn't new to WhatsApp for iOS — it already supports the feature when playing media shared from websites like YouTube and Facebook.

According to a report from WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo, select users part of the TestFlight beta program will receive the feature as part of the update to version 22.24.0.79 on iOS. A screengrab on the website shows the ability to multitask with other apps during an ongoing video call on WhatsApp. The video call window can be temporarily hidden as well. Users who have received the update can check if they have received the feature by trying to use a different app while placing a video call.

A screenshot of the picture-in-picture mode in action shared by the feature tracker
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

The report states that the PIP feature is working on iOS 16.1 or above, with previous versions not yet supported despite being compatible with the update. “Note that, even if this feature is compatible with iOS 15 and newer versions of iOS, we have no evidence that it is also enabled for users on iOS 15 at the moment,” WABetaInfo said. The update should soon be available for the wider user base as well.

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The new update to beta version 22.24.0.79 follows a slew of WhatsApp updates on the iOS platform. Most recently, iOS beta testers received a ‘search by date' feature that let users search specific messages by date within a chat, adding a calendar icon in the search option.

WhatsApp users also received a ‘Message Yourself' feature to send themselves reminders and take notes, the ability to include captions when forwarding media, and a voice note feature for status updates.

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Probably the biggest feature added recently to the app on both iOS and Android was WhatsApp Polls, which let users create polls in both personal and group chats. The feature is also found on rival messaging services, like Telegram.

Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company's latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: WhatsApp, iOS, iPhone, Apple

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More