WhatsApp tests new iPhone browser to open links inside app

WhatsApp first tested an in-app browser on Android in 2019. Now a WhatsApp in-app browser is taking shape on iPhone, and it wants to open every link you tap.

Last year, WhatsApp beta 25.14.10.72 let some testers open business links without leaving the app. There was a catch: the site had to use HTTPS and meet other technical requirements, so most links in your chats never qualified.

WABetaInfo has now spotted work on a version that handles any link. It turned up in WhatsApp beta 26.41.10.72 on TestFlight.

How would you switch on WhatsApp in-app browser?

A “In-app browser” choice would be found under WhatsApp settings. For the first time that you turn the feature on, there is a bottom sheet that tells you that links will open within WhatsApp and not within Safari or whatever other browser that you use.

This setting is not a permanent decision. There is always an option for reverting back to your default browser or opening just one particular link using the three-dots menu. The browsing session is also not integrated into the chat, as reading a web page will not affect your chatting.

The browser settings page will have a feature where you can clear the cookies and cache from the sites you browse through WhatsApp, meaning you can clear whatever the browser has saved in your phone.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp saves your browsing data locally like Safari, and neither WhatsApp nor Apple can access your links.