YouTube has brought picture-in-picture support to all U.S. users of its iOS and iPadOS apps. The feature is rolling out now, and will allow users to watch videos in a mini player while also using other applications.
The convenient feature has been in beta testing for many months
YouTube picture-in-picture is finally on iPhone and iPad
PiP makes videos easier to enjoy because people can use their iPhone or iPad to multitask while also watching. It’s a feature long since available on many rival applications, including Apple TV and Disney+. And it’s finally in the YouTube app.
The announcement came Monday via a post on YouTube Help. The rollout will happen “over the next several days,” but it’s only for the United States.
There’s an acknowledgment of the long, long wait. “We recognize this has been a slow roll out for a highly requested feature, and want to thank everyone who shared feedback during experiments, and waited patiently for this moment,” the company also said in its post.
it's happening! ✨ picture-in-picture is slowly rolling out for YouTube on iPhone & iPad, & just like on Android, will be avail to:
Premium members globally &
non-Premium members in US (non-music only)it’s been a long time coming all the details ➡️ https://t.co/mNbPWWE21n pic.twitter.com/ZeBY48KOhH
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) July 11, 2022
The feature is available to non-premium and premium members of the service. But non-paying members can not put music videos into PiP – Premium members can.
All that’s necessary to move a video from the application to a floating window is leave the app while a video is playing. The video will continue in the mini player, which has basic controls including stop, play, and jump forward and back.
Anyone who does not want picture-in-picture for YouTube or other video services should go to Settings > General > Picture in Picture and toggle off Start PiP Automatically.
New… sort of
To be clear, some iPhone web browsers can already do YouTube PiP video. But YouTube is adding the feature to its iOS application, and not just for Premium subscribers. It’s a feature that’s long been available for users of the Android app.
At this point, it’s not known when full PiP support will be available to all iOS users outside of the U.S. The feature was added to YouTube TV in early 2022.
