YouTube’s Picture-in-Picture Viewing Is Coming to iPhones Around the World image
  • Rosa Edwards
  • 31 Aug 2021

YouTube’s Picture-in-Picture Viewing Is Coming to iPhones Around the World

YouTube’s much-heralded Picture-in-Picture, aka PiP, viewing is finally arriving at the screens of the global iOS audience. Any iPhone and iPad user with the YouTube Premium subscription should now be able to watch video clips in a floating mini-window while they are surfing the web or checking their social media apps.

How to Start Using YouTube’s PiP Mode on iOS Devices?

Below is a complete step-by-step instruction on how to begin using the Picture-in-Picture viewing mode on your iOS device.

Signing up to participate in the testing:

  1. Sign in to the YouTube platform using your Premium account information.

  2. Visit YouTube’s experimental features website on your browser.

  3. Find the “Picture-in-picture on iOS” section and press the Try it out button.

Using the feature:

  1. Once you have officially signed up for testing the PiP feature, open the app on your iOS device, iPhone or iPad, and pick any video you like.

  2. When it has started playing, swipe up the screen or press the Home button to close the application.

  3. The video will continue in the mini-player mode, and you are now free to simultaneously check your other apps, social media sites, or search the Internet.

Thanks to the background play option, the Picture-in-Picture mode allows iOS users to enjoy the new experience even when their iPhone has been locked. In this case, they will only hear the audio part.

When Will It Roll Out in Full?

The PiP mode is currently in the testing phase. The new functionality has been available to iOS users in the USA for some time, and now, its outreach has been expanded worldwide. The experiment is expected to continue till the end of October 2021, although the date of PiP’s formal rollout for non-Premium users is yet to be announced. 

Do you ever use the Picture-in-Picture feature when browsing the Internet? What other features would you like to see in the near future? Tell us about it in the comment section.

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