YouTube Doesn’t Allow PiP on the iPhone. Here’s How You Can Do It Anyway.
Although Picture-in-Picture (PiP) is a convenient feature for multitasking while watching videos on iPhones, it’s no secret that YouTube does not officially support this feature for their iOS app. Don’t worry; we have you covered! In this article, we will show you how to work around this limitation and enable PiP for YouTube videos on your iPhone.
Step 1: Rely on Safari Browser
Instead of using YouTube’s official app, open the Safari browser on your iPhone and visit the YouTube website (youtube.com). Using the web version will enable you access to features that may not be available on the app, like PiP.
Step 2: Access the Desktop Version of YouTube
The PiP feature is accessible only through the desktop version of YouTube. Once you’re in Safari, tap and hold the “aA” icon found in the left side of the address bar. Choose “Request Desktop Website” from the menu that appears.
Step 3: Play Your Desired Video
Search and play your desired video on the desktop version of YouTube. Now, when the video starts playing, tap twice on the full-screen icon to enter full-screen mode.
Step 4: Initiate Picture-in-Picture Mode
While in full-screen mode, tap on the video to reveal playback controls. In these controls, you’ll find the PiP icon that looks like a small square with an arrow pointing towards another square. Tap on this PiP icon to shrink your video into a smaller player, which can be moved around or positioned anywhere on your screen.
Step 5: Continue Using Your iPhone
Now that your video is playing in PiP mode, you can use other apps or navigate your iPhone as usual while enjoying your favorite content.
Conclusion
Though it’s unfortunate that YouTube’s official iPhone app doesn’t support PiP directly, you can still enjoy this useful feature by employing the workaround we’ve discussed. Keep in mind, however, that YouTube may change its policies or website functionality in the future, which could potentially affect these steps. For now, though, continue multitasking and watching your favorite videos in PiP mode on your iPhone!
