Paul Morris on May 8, 2018, 12:54 am

New WhatsApp Update Adds Inline Instagram And Facebook Videos Support

Facebook-owned WhatsApp has received a brand new update, taking the platform to version 2.18.51. In addition to underlying bug fixes and performance improvements, version 2.18.51 introduces support for inline Facebook and Instagram video support.

Support for Facebook videos and videos from Facebook-owned Instagram have been a long time coming where WhatsApp is concerned.

The cross-platform messaging app has allowed YouTube videos to be played inline within a conversation and even offers picture-in-picture mode for when a user wants to continue watching the video but also continue chatting in other conversations.

According to the latest WhatsApp changelog, this new version of the messaging platform brings the exact same behavior, but for Facebook and Instagram videos.

When you receive a link to an Instagram or Facebook video, you can now play it within WhatsApp. With picture-in-picture, you can also keep watching the video while you navigate to another chat.

If you’re a group admin, you can now remove admin rights from other participants. Select the admin in “Group info” and tap “Dismiss as admin.”

Group admins can now choose who can change a group’s subject, icon and description by going to “Group info” and tapping “Group Settings.”

The biggest change by far here is that WhatsApp has introduced video support for two of its sibling companies and services: Facebook and Instagram. If you loved the fact that YouTube videos played inline when a video link was shared then you will love this latest change. Especially if you regularly consume services by Facebook-owned platforms. The update also injects more power into the hands of administrators who are in charge of group chats. Those changes mean that admins can immediately give and take power away from others.

This is a great update for WhatsApp users and one that sets the foundations for more to come. Mark Zuckerberg confirmed during this year’s F8 Conference that WhatsApp will soon support group chat video calling as well as offering Stickers brought by WhatsApp and third-party developers. If you are still running the older version of WhatsApp and want to get up and running with these new improvements, then make sure that you grab the latest version from your respective application store, right now.