All About Interwebz: WhatsApp picture-in-picture mode for video calls is rolling out on iPhones

If you're using WhatsApp on iOS there's another update to look out for: developer Meta has started rolling out support for video call picture-in-picture mode, so you can still see who you're talking to while using other apps on your iPhone.

The update (via 9to5Mac) is simple enough, and comes with version 23.3.77 from the App Store. When you're on a video call inside WhatsApp, simply minimize the app, and you'll get a persistent video thumbnail on screen that you can drag around as needed.

WhatsApp announced the feature was on the way last year, and it would seem beta testing has gone well enough for the picture-in-picture mode to make its way out to everyone. Everyone with an iPhone, that is – there's been no word on whether this same functionality will make its way to Android at some point.

The iOS update includes some other improvements as well, such as the ability to add captions to documents, support for longer group chat names and descriptions, and personalized avatars that can be used as stickers.

The app that keeps on updating

Meta is of course going to be keen to keep millions of people coming back to WhatsApp, which is no doubt part of the reason it keeps its software developers so busy – very few apps get updates that are as numerous and as frequent as they are for WhatsApp.

Whether it's being able to send messages even when the internet is down, or upgrades in the number of photos and videos you can post to a chat, we don't usually have to wait very long before another update appears for WhatsApp.

These are most often updates that are useful and well thought out too, with the most recent one a good example of that: being able to stay on a video call while working in other apps definitely improves the user experience.

Don't forget the sheer number of apps under the WhatsApp banner, either. You can get native applications for Windows and macOS as well as Android and iOS, and there's even a version that runs in a web browser. All we need now is an iPad version.