WhatsApp for Android: the new Beta lets you watch videos before downloading them

video streamingAfter the release of the much awaited video calling feature, other great news for WhatsApp users. Our beloved instant messaging app is in fact testing a new feature which will allow users to watch shared videos while they are being downloaded.

For the moment only Beta testers using Android devices are enabled to download this latest update, that has been spotted with the latest betas. However, there are signs that the new feature will soon  be available in stable versions of the app also on iOS.

How can you use this new, useful, feature? The procedure is very simple, and is similar to the one used by YouTube and other online sites. You certainly know that, so far, downloading videos with WhatsApp could take quite a long time if you used a slow data connection. But now, thanks tho this latest improvement of WhatsApp for Android devices, users have the ability to choose to view videos while they are downloading in the background.

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It is not difficult to imagine that this new video streaming feature will be very enjoyed by the many users of WhatsApp (more than one billion all over the world!), since they often use the app to share videos in their chats. Now, let’s see how it works.

When one of your contacts sends you a video, you will see a play icon instead of the usual download button. When you tap on the play button, the video will start immediately streaming. As we said, for the moment, all of this works only if both you and the contact who is sending you the video are  Beta Testers. In case you are receiving a video from a regular WhatsApp contact, the usual Download Button will be displayed instead of the new Play button.

It is extremely easy to become a Beta Tester, you just have to sign up on Google Play. After you become a Beta Tester you will able to download WhatsApp beta updates.