WhatsApp tests the ability to better watch and control YouTube, Instagram, and more

Whatsapp Group Message on iPhone X (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz/iMore)

What you need to know

WhatsApp is testing a new control bar feature that will make it easier to watch content in-app.
Services like YouTube and Instagram will play in picture-in-picture mode with new controls, according to a report.

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will make it easier to play video from YouTube, Instagram, and more without leaving the app or opening a Safari view. According to a WABetaInfo report, the new 'control bar' is being tested with those on the WhatsApp TestFlight beta now and will give users more control over the content they're watching

A similar feature has already been made available to Android beta testers, but this is the first time it has made the move over to iOS. Users will be able to watch content and even control it via in-app shortcuts. A full-screen option will also be available.

Whatsapp Control Bar Screenshot (Image credit: WABetaInfo)

WhatsApp is starting to roll out new features on iOS beta: after rolling out a new interface on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.21.22.3 to watch videos from Instagram, YouTube (and more) directly within the app, WhatsApp is now releasing the same interface on WhatsApp beta for iOS as well!The new interface implements a control bar: it allows moving the picture-in-picture view easily, and it also implements some shortcuts, like the possibility to end the video and to show it in full-screen mode.

There is no telling when this feature will be made available to everyone, if it all, but WhatsApp is one of the better apps in terms of seeing features migrate from TestFlight and into the App Store. If you're a WhatsApp user, maybe you'll be seeing this new control bar soon enough.

WhatsApp is already one of the best iPhone instant messaging apps and it continues to go from strength to strength.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.