YouTube Picture-In-Picture Support For iPhone Coming Soon, What’s The Catch?

If you're an iPhone user and enjoy watching YouTube, this new feature is surely going to make you happy. YouTube will begin picture-in-picture or PiP support for iPhone users soon. This means you can minimize the YouTube app while the video continues to play in the background, a feature that's already available for several other apps.

YouTube Picture-In-Picture Support For iPhone, iPad

The much-need feature is finally arriving for the iOS platform, allowing users to continue watching the videos in the small pop-up window on their home screen. This further allows iPhone and iPad users to open other apps, scroll through websites, reply to texts, and so on - while the YouTube video continues playing in the background.

To note, Apple introduced the picture-in-picture small window support with the launch of iOS 14. Now both iPhone and iPad users can enjoy the PiP view on their streaming apps, at least those that support it, Netflix for instance. When it comes to YouTube, getting the picture-in-picture support has been quite a task as the app was blocking the PiP view unless you're a premium member.

While iPhone and iPad users used a couple of tricks up their sleeves like using iOS shortcuts or accessing the YouTube website via Safari rather than the app. However, YouTube went around and blocked the PiP view unless people signed up for its premium subscription - until now.

YouTube Picture-In-Picture For iPhone: What's The Catch?

YouTube told the media that it would allow PiP support for iPhone and iPad users. However, there's a catch. The popular streaming app is first allowing the PiP support to its premium subscribers only. A larger rollout for all iOS users is expected to begin in the US market first and then over to other markets, including India.

That said, the YouTube spokesperson didn't mention a timeline for the global rollout, or when non-paid subscribers would get the PiP support for iPhone and iPad. Yet, it's high time that the picture-in-picture support arrives on iPhone, something that's already available with several other apps. Moreover, Android users have been enjoying picture-in-picture support for their favorite apps for years now!

(via)