YouTube Says iOS Picture-in-Picture Coming to All Users 'in a Matter of Days' [Updated]

by

Following a lengthy testing period, YouTube's picture-in-picture support for iOS will begin rolling out in the next few days, allowing all users, including non-premium and premium subscribers, to close the YouTube app and continue watching their video in a small pop-up window.
YouTube Picture in Picture Feature

Google in June announced that picture-in-picture support would be rolling out to both premium and non-paying YouTube app users in the U.S., but many people outside the country have been able to get it working, so the company could be making it globally available.

Only YouTube Premium subscribers have had access to picture-in-picture mode on iOS as an "experimental feature," and at one stage this was interpreted to mean it would remain a premium-only feature, until Google clarified that it would eventually be coming to all users in the country.

On Sunday, in a tweeted response to a user having problems accessing the experimental feature, YouTube said picture in picture would be available in "a matter of days" for devices running iOS 15 and later.


For those unfamiliar with the feature, picture-in-picture allows videos to be watched while using other apps. When watching a video, users can tap the picture-in-picture button to move the video to a smaller window that floats over the Home Screen or other apps.

YouTube has extended the testing period for the feature several times in an effort to improve the experience before an official launch, and it now appears that the company is almost ready for it to go live.

The availability of YouTube picture-in-picture has been back and forth, with the feature sometimes working via the YouTube website on Safari. Some users have resorted to Shortcuts to turn off built-in parameters on the YouTube site that disables picture-in-picture. But with official support just around the corner, those workarounds will no longer be needed.

Update: YouTube has clarified its earlier comment about the rollout "in a matter of days," and said that it was made in reference to YouTube TV, not YouTube.

"What's currently being rolled out is the YouTube TV picture-in-picture for iOS 15+ devices," YouTube said on Twitter. "If you're referring to the YouTube app, it's only available to Premium members on Android mobile phones.

Tag: YouTube

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
Read Full Article • 109 comments
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
Read Full Article • 197 comments
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
Read Full Article • 536 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Read Full Article • 47 comments
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
Read Full Article • 95 comments
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
Read Full Article • 349 comments
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
Read Full Article • 92 comments
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
Read Full Article • 127 comments
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
Read Full Article • 116 comments

Top Rated Comments

Kylo83 Avatar
Kylo83
46 months ago
All I want is dark mode to automatically turn on when system goes into dark mode it’s shocking it doesn’t already
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fwmireault Avatar
fwmireault
46 months ago
It’s unclear if and when people outside US will get PiP, but I see absolutely no reason why we could not have it if everybody in US can… it’s a system feature
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RamGuy Avatar
RamGuy
46 months ago

PiP is one of those FaaS (feature as a service) that people actually subscribe to YouTube Premium for. And it will no longer have any attraction whatsoever if this rumour becomes a reality.
I find it stupid to limit essential features like this behind a paywall. But I'm already a YouTube Premium subscriber, not because of PiP, because of no ads. Sure I could use an adblocker, but that's difficult when watching a lot using tvOS on Apple TV and whatnot. I also prefer to not block ads on YouTube, I would much rather that all the content creators that put out hours upon hours of content I consume at least get some kind of payment instead of me simply blocking all the ads with an adblocker. Paying for YouTube Premium won't help them much, but at least it's something instead of nothing.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DEMinSoCAL Avatar
DEMinSoCAL
46 months ago

I find it stupid to limit essential features like this behind a paywall.
That made me laugh. There's nothing essential about YouTube.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
contacos
46 months ago
Right ... just like system dark mode is for everyone. I still do not have it and I have been a paying customer (granted, via India) for like 2 years. I had it for literally 2 minutes at some point and it went away again ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chfilm Avatar
chfilm
46 months ago
Wow. Unbelievable it took them so long!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments