UPDATE: YouTube posted another tweet after deleting the original, clarifying that the PiP feature will only be available to YouTube TV members. We continue with the same situation, and free users will not have this feature. |
It seems that after years of tests and denials this is confirmed: YouTube is about to enable PiP mode on “all devices with iOS 15”. This was confirmed in a tweet by the service’s official account, stating that the novelty will spread “in a few days”.
Open the video, close the app, continue watching the video
PiP mode (or picture in picture) is what allows us watch app videos outside of them, something we can do seamlessly with Netflix, Apple TV, HBO Max, Twitch, and other apps like that, integrating seamlessly with iOS, iPadOS, and Safari on macOS. But YouTube had always reserved it for its subscribed users since it started testing in the summer of 2020. Maybe it’s happened to you before.
The controversy was served: why something so obvious and included as standard in the operating systems themselves was blocked and reserved for those who paid on YouTube? It’s hard to justify, and the time has come to make the service managers give in. Soon we will be able to use it on all iPhones, whether or not you pay for YouTube Premium.
Apparently, the first users who will have it fully available will be Americans, but according to MacRumors, the feature has also been enabled on more people’s iPhones around the world. Therefore, it is likely that let’s end up having it active everywhere as soon as possible
Using this PiP mode should be as simple as open a video on YouTube, then go to the main screen of iOS. The video should stay playing in a little box that can even be tucked away on the side, for those only interested in audio. Don’t forget: you must have iOS 15 installed in order to enjoy it when activated.