Few days ago, WhatsApp tested the video streaming feature on beta version of Android. Now, the feature is being rolled out to all the Android users along with the animated GIF image support.
The new video streaming feature will allow users to view shared videos on WhatsApp as they are being downloaded. Consequently, users won’t have to wait now for the entire video to be downloaded in order to watch it.
Earlier, to watch any shared video on WhatsApp, you had to either download the entire video or wait until the video is downloaded automatically (depending on your auto-download settings). The new video streaming feature will be useful for users who have opted for manual downloading of the media in WhatsApp, as with auto-download setting the video will be downloaded automatically.
With this latest update, users will see a play overlay icon on the video thumbnail instead of the usual download icon. At the bottom of the WhatsApp video dialogue box, the size of the video will be mentioned, so that users can decide if they want to download the video or not.
Another feature available to all the users of WhatsApp is the animated GIF image support. It was initially available in August for WhatsApp beta users only. Users can convert 6-seconds video to GIF and share it with their contacts. Users can send GIF via the attach file button which will open the Gallery on the device, and users can find the right GIF image to be shared. Before sending to their WhatsApp contacts, users can now crop the GIF image in preferred size.
Last month, WhatsApp rolled out the much awaited video calling feature as well. WhatsApp has been constantly updated with many new features over this time period to enhance the user experience and to remain as the top messaging app.