How to use YouTube Picture in Picture (PiP) on iPhone

Let’s admit! Watching YouTube videos in PiP mode on iPhone is what most of us have long wanted. Unfortunately, Google has kept this popular feature out of the reach of iOS users, including premium subscribers, for the most well-known reasons. However, with the availability of YouTube Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode on the iPhone, the long wait times for all YouTube Premium users are over. But what about iOS users who aren’t premium YouTube subscribers? Don’t worry, there are some reliable hacks to enable YouTube PiP mode on your iPhone for free. Let’s check them out.

Watch YouTube videos in Picture in Picture (PiP) mode on iPhone (2021)

In June of this year, Google announced that it would roll out PiP support for YouTube Premium members on iOS. Now, instead of delaying the release, picture-in-picture mode is now available to test iPhone premium subscribers. However, there are pitfalls. iOS users Try the experimental Picture in Picture (PiP) feature until October 31st.. So if you have a YouTube Premium subscription, you can now use YouTube PiP mode on your iOS device.

Unfortunately, freemium YouTube users are excluded. But don’t worry. There are two handy workarounds that you can use to watch YouTube videos in PiP mode on your iPhone. I’ve been using YouTube PiP mode on iOS devices for a long time using Safari tricks and Siri shortcuts. They did my job (more or less) so I was able to watch YouTube in picture-in-picture mode on my iPhone without any problems. And they won’t let you down either. With that in mind, let’s dive right away.

Enable and use YouTube Picture in Picture (PiP) on your iPhone

1. Open Your favorite browser Please visit youtube.com/new. Make sure you are a YouTube Premium subscriber and logged in to your Google account.

2. Here, “iOS picture in pictureClick on the blue “Try it“Button. This feature is activated in the YouTube app on iOS.

3. Next, go to your iPhone and open the YouTube app Start watching the video..

4. Next, press the home button (iPhone SE2 or earlier) or swipe from bottom to top (iPhone with Face ID) to go to the home screen and enable YouTube PiP on your device. YouTube videos will continue to play in the mini player (picture-in-picture mode) on the iPhone home screen.

You can now pinch the PiP window to make it larger or smaller, or send it to the corner of the screen. You can also flick the overlay outside the edge of the screen to hear only the audio playing in the background while scrolling or taking notes on Twitter. The mechanism is as follows.

Note: YouTube PiP mode is currently an experimental feature, so don’t expect it to work smoothly. again, Note that if you lock your iPhone screen while watching a YouTube video in PiP mode, the video will pause. Therefore, you need to restart the video using the lock screen media control. Google has confirmed that it is working to fix this issue.

Watch YouTube videos in PiP mode via Safari on iPhone

Now, if you don’t want to buy a Youtube Premium subscription, you can watch YouTube videos in Picture in Picture (PiP) mode via Safari on your iPhone. I tried this nifty workaround on an iPhone running iOS 15 and it worked pretty well for me. Follow the steps below to learn how it works:

1. Release Safari On your iPhone, go to youtube.com (website link).

2. Then tap Text icon (aA) In the address URL bar, Request a desktop website Context menu options.

3. Then select the video to start playing and go to full screen mode. afterwards, Tap the PiP mode icon Located in the upper left corner of the screen.

4. The video will now start playing on the mini player.I can do it now Swipe from bottom to top or press the home button Minimize Safari and continue to watch your favorite YouTube videos in PiP mode on your iPhone.

In some cases, it may be better to show things in video format for better understanding. Therefore, I’ve included this demo to show that YouTube PiP mode is actually working. The best part of this workaround is that it works on both iPhone and iPad. The YouTube Picture in Picture (PiP) mode currently being tested is awkward and doesn’t work well on the iPad.

Watch YouTube in picture-in-picture mode using Siri shortcuts

The process of creating a Siri shortcut in YouTube PiP mode is a bit tedious, but the end result is pretty sweet. Creating a YouTube PiP mode shortcut allows you to easily play any video in picture-in-picture mode on your iPhone.

1. Start Shortcut app On your iPhone, tap “+” Button Located in the upper right corner of the screen.

2. Well, Add action Click the button and select the Web option.

3. Next, “Execute JavaScript on a web page“option. It’s under the Safari section.

4. Then tap Web page Horizontal options Execute JavaScript and Choose Shortcut input Menu options that pop up from below.

5. Now you need to Remove javascript Appears in the shortcut window and pastes the specified one Less than. afterwards, Tap the ellipsis icon (3 dots) Located in the upper right corner of the screen.

let v = document.querySelector(‘video’); v.addEventListener(‘webkitpresentationmodechanged’, (e)=>e.stopPropagation(), true); setTimeout(()=>v.webkitSetPresentationMode(‘picture-in-picture’), 3000); completion()

6.6. Give the shortcut a name.. For simplicity, we’ll name it “YouTube PiP” on the iPhone.

7. Also, “Show on shared sheet “ After switching, “Sheet type sharing “..

8. “Deselect allSelect “in the upper right corner” Safari web page.

9. Finally, tap back button Located in the upper left corner of the screen.Then tap the end Button in the upper right corner. surely”the endPress again to save the new shortcut.

10. After creating the shortcut, open it Safari Go to youtube.com (website link). Then play the YouTube video. And while playing the video, share button.

11. Where YouTube PiP shortcut With a shared sheet. You may see a pop-up asking YouTube PiP to allow access to youtube.com.Please be sure to tap to approve I will continue.

that’s it! The YouTube video will start playing in PiP mode on your iPhone. Now, enjoy the video while scrolling through Twitter and chatting with your friends.

Play YouTube videos for free in PiP mode on iPhone

please! Here’s how you can use YouTube PiP mode on your iPhone and iPad even if you’re not a YouTube Premium subscriber. As mentioned above, both Safari tricks and Siri shortcut hacks work fine. However, if you subscribe to YouTube Premium, you don’t have to worry about anything. Take part in the experiment, test YouTube PiP mode on your iPhone, and continue until it’s officially released within a few months. That said, do you have any questions or feedback to share? If yes, please let us know in the comments section below.