WhatsApp, the popular messaging platform, has been making rapid strides into making the videos a key feature in the app. However, any regular WhatsApp user will know that the app does not allow its members to play YouTube videos directly in the app. But now, according to some reports, the messaging platform will soon let you play content from YouTube within the application itself. Currently, users are required to click on a link shared on the app, and the video then plays either via a browser or in the YouTube mobile application. But now, in the 2.17.40 version of the app for Apple iPhone, that is out in the App Store currently, WhatsApp will now reportedly test the in-app YouTube playback support as a hidden feature. According to popular web portal WABetaInfo, the support for YouTube video playback is not available to the public right now, since the feature is undergoing a testing phase.

According to the report in WABetaInfo, this new feature in WhatsApp will allow users to view videos from YouTube as a picture-in-picture mode. Additionally, you can also resize the video by pinching or you can also play videos in full-screen mode. Also, you can browse through your messages inside the WhatsApp chat as well, by hiding the video on the side. However, the report says that you cannot continue viewing the video on YouTube if you change the chat. The report also says that the feature is currently only available for Apple iPhone 6 or its higher variants. This maybe because of a need for larger display size for videos, the report said. As of now, the WhatsApp feature is available for iOS devices only and there is no information on when it will be available to the public on both iOS and Android smartphones.

The feature has been in high demand from users as it was an annoying thing to use when watching YouTube videos meant going to a different portal. Unless the Facebook owned company finds a problem with this feature or too many bugs are not found, we can expect the launch of the feature soon. Meanwhile, WhatsApp had recently come up with an update that will allow users to share all types of file and documents on the app. The latest update includes a few more features, including the option of swiping up from the in-app camera to see videos and images from the gallery, sending multiple pics as an album, and simpler text formatting.