WhatsApp will now be able to play videos formatted for Facebook and Instagram. The Facebook owned messaging service already has integration to play YouTube videos within chats but previously wasn’t able to run videos from the parent company’s social media platforms of Facebook and Instagram.

The update will mean when you receive a Facebook or Instagram video link from within WhatsApp, you can watch it right there, in your chat. The result should be that playing a video appears the same as YouTube video playback currently on WhatsApp. Sounds great but there’s a catch. This is iOS only right now so only iPhone users can enjoy it.

This will appear to those who have updated WhatsApp to the newest version, 2.18.51, available now. Expect an Android update to follow soon. The update also gives the ability to add and remove admin privileges to users in group chats. Admins will also have the power to edit the subject, descriptions and image for the chat. This is all found in the Group Settings menu section. To remove an admin from a group, select the user in Group Info, then select Dismiss As Admin.

This could be the first step into a more video focused messaging platform for WhatsApp. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced at the company’s F8 developer conference that WhatsApp would soon support group video calling. Stickers are also expected to make an appearance on WhatsApp soon, including those made by third-party developers.

After WhatsApp CEO Jan Kuom left the company recently, there has been a lot of speculation about Facebook considering weakening encryption on the app. WhatsApp encryption is what keeps messages private so only the sender and receiver can see the content. Facebook is reportedly under governmental pressure to find ways to make WhatsApp accessible to law enforcement agencies.

Facebook paid $1.5 billion for WhatsApp in 2014 and is still reportedly trying to find a way to monetise the platform. Advertising has been one way that this may happen.

Facebook’s vice president of messaging products, David Marcus, told CNBC: "As far as advertising is concerned, we're definitely getting WhatsApp more open.”

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