YouTube has a feature called picture-in-picture (PiP) mode, which lets videos keep playing in a small window while you use other apps. This feature was introduced in the US in 2022 and has been gradually made available to more users around the world. However, even with this feature, if you’re using the YouTube app itself, you can’t use PiP mode within the app. That might be changing soon.
Recently, a staff member from Android Police noticed the new feature in the YouTube app on his Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra after updating to version 19.29.37. When he minimized a video within the YouTube app, instead of shrinking to the small minibar at the bottom of the screen, the video now moved into a resizable and movable PiP window, similar to what happens when you leave the app. This means YouTube is starting to use a proper PiP mode within the app itself.
But before you get too excited and rush to update your YouTube app, you might want to hold off. This feature appears to be a server-side update from Google, meaning it’s controlled from Google’s servers and not just based on the app version. Others have tried updating their app and clearing the cache, but they didn’t see the new feature.
This update also isn’t one of the experimental features available to YouTube Premium subscribers. If Google does decide to roll this feature out to everyone, it will be the first major change to video playback within the YouTube app on mobile since 2018, the year YouTube introduced the minibar, a small player that appears at the bottom of the screen when you minimize a video.
While some people have gotten used to the minibar, having a proper PiP mode that you can move and resize is likely a welcome improvement. This makes it easier to browse other content in the YouTube app while still watching a video.
For now, you’ll need to be patient and wait for Google to expand this feature to more users. Android Police has reached out to Google for more information. According to their report, the feature is still being tested and isn’t widely available yet.
We don’t know how many people currently have access to this new feature, but it’s certain to make browsing your YouTube feed with a video playing in the background much better, when it eventually rolls out to everyone.
