One of Android O’s most important consumer-facing features is support for picture-in-picture. So far, only YouTube and Duo have added support for the feature, but it seems WhatsApp may be close to adding it.
First spotted by WA Beta Info on Twitter, the current version of the WhatsApp Beta for Android, 2.17.265, already supports picture-in-picture functionality. Unlike YouTube, WhatsApp’s implementation of this feature isn’t designed for entertainment, but rather multitasking.
Like Google’s Duo, WhatsApp is using PiP to keep an ongoing video call in view at all times, regardless of what the user may be doing on their device. When leaving the app, the PiP window pops up so long as a video call is ongoing. The feature is enabled by default and still supports the option to mute your microphone.
It’s a simple addition, and one that makes a lot of sense for the app. As mentioned, this functionality is live right now if you’re a beta tester for WhatsApp. To join that group, simply visit the Play Store listing for WhatsApp from your device, scroll down and you’ll see the option to join the beta test. Obviously, you’ll also need to be running the Android O beta in order to give this a shot.
WhatsApp beta for Android 2.17.265: as announced, WhatsApp now supports PiP for video calls on Android O (8.0)!
Enabled by default! pic.twitter.com/bJqx8wykDw— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) July 19, 2017
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