With the latest addition, Picture-in-Picture mode or PiP mode, iPhone users will no longer have to pause their video stream when minimising the app or switching to another app on their device.
In its latest update, WhatsApp will allow iPhone (iOS) users to multitask on a video call. In contrast to the Android version, which had long supported multi-tasking while on video calls, WhatsApp for iOS would pause a user's video stream when the app was minimised or the user switched to another app. iPhone users will now notice a floating picture-in-picture (PiP) window with a minimised version, allowing them to access other apps while on a video call.
The most popular and used messaging app announced support for the PiP feature on iOS in the release notes for the most recent stable version on the App Store. The changelog read that "You can now multitask during a WhatsApp call without pausing your video thanks to support for iOS Picture in Picture (PiP)."
It's worth noting that Apple added support for PiP mode with the release of iOS 14 in 2020, whereas Google added support in 2017 with the release of Android 8, also known as Android Oreo. Third-party Android apps received PiP mode support faster than iOS counterparts, and YouTube users on iOS could finally reduce video playback to a floating window in the second half of 2022.
Meanwhile, the iOS version of WhatsApp now supports captions when sending documents. Users could previously add captions to images and videos and can now add context to documents while sharing them.
After updating to the latest version of WhatsApp, iOS users can enter longer subjects and descriptions for group chats. The company made these changes to the Android version of the app earlier this week, along with the ability to share 100 images or videos at once, which appears to be missing in the latest update or iOS.
WhatsApp also claims that users can use avatars as stickers and profile photos, but it is worth noting that the company first announced the rollout of this feature, and support for 36 customisable stickers based on user-generated avatars, in December.
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