While Apple added the support for Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode on iPad when they launched iOS 9, and on iPhones with upcoming iOS 14, app developers haven’t really taken the advantage of the feature. Youtube, has finally given in and is testing the feature on its iPadOS apps.
YouTube Adds Support for Picture-in-Picture Mode
A report by 9to5Mac claims that some users were able to use the feature when updated to the latest app version. It looks like Google is opting for a gradual roll-out of the feature as only select users have access to it for now — it also doesn’t work for every video.
As the name suggests, Picture-in-Picture lets you continue watching a video, in a mini window, even after you have closed the app. Android got it back in 2018 when Google rolled out Android Nougat. Since then Apple users have been requesting this feature, and it seems like their prayers have finally been heard.
The above video was posted by a Twitter user, Daniel Yount. In the video, we can see PiP working on Youtube’s iPadOS app. Even after Daniel ‘swiped up to go home’, the video kept playing in a small window.
Though the feature is pretty good, and should roll-out very soon, it seems Google is going to keep this feature only for YouTube Premium subscribers. Which sounds unfair to Apple users, since it’s available to all Android users (irrespective of the user being a Premium Subscriber or not).
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