WhatsApp introduced the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode on the iPhone last year in May, and then presented it a few months later on Android. However the feature has had a great limitation on Android so far : it only works if you stay in the conversation where the video was shared. With the latest version of the client - currently only available in beta - WhatsApp has fixed the problem.
What is the Picture-in-Picture Mode
The Picture-in-Picture mode cosente simply view a video in a window within another screen. On WhatsApp , specifically, it allows you to view the media while you are conversing so you can do both at the same time without interrupting one. If on the iPhone it is already possible to play the content on any screen of the client, on Android the possibility is not yet present.
WhatsApp for Android, what changes with 2.19.86
With the beta version of WhatsApp for Android , version 2.19.86 , the development team improved the Picture-in-Picture Mode to work similarly to what happens on the iPhone. PiP Mode will continue to play the video in a smaller window than the entire screen, but not only within the conversation in which it was shared. The feature will also work when you exit the conversation, minimize the app, and even when you switch to a completely different application than WhatsApp .
The feature is still in the testing phase, and therefore the new PiP Mode is not yet ready to be released to all users . In the same version WhatsApp is trying another feature that will improve the usability of voice messages: specifically, consecutive voice messages will be played automatically one after the other. This last feature has been under development since November and must be activated remotely on all clients updated to v 2.19.86, or later.
If you want to install the latest Android beta you can do it by signing up for the "Become a tester" program on the Google Play Store in the link below