According to a new report, YouTube for iOS is officially getting support for picture-in-picture which will allow both non-premium and Premium subscribers to continue watching videos in a floating window while using other apps. Currently, the feature is only rolling out for Premium members, but the company is planning to launch it to all iOS users in the United States soon.
In August 2020, it was reported that YouTube was testing a native picture-in-picture (PiP) feature in its iOS app. Picture-in-picture (PiP) has been available for iPadOS users since 2015 and Apple recently rolled it out for iOS users with iOS 14.
YouTube has started rolling picture-in-picture support for iOS users
In a statement to MacRumors, YouTube confirmed that once the feature is rolled out officially, it will be available to all users as opposed to previous reports suggesting that the company will restrict picture-in-picture to paying subscribers. This means that PiP support will start appearing as a feature for YouTube Premium members globally, but it will eventually be supported for all iOS users in the United States.
Picture-in-Picture (PiP) allows users to watch YouTube videos in a small mini player while simultaneously browsing outside of the YouTube app on their mobile device. We’re starting to roll out PiP for YouTube Premium members on iOS and plan to launch PiP for all US iOS users as well.
For users who want to have access to the picture-in-picture before it is rolled out globally, they will need a YouTube Premium subscription which costs $11.99 ($15.99 through the YouTube app for iOS due to Apple’s in-app purchase fees). With the paid subscription, Premium users can get an ad-free viewing experience with support for background play. It also comes bundled with a subscription to YouTube Music Premium.
Some users have found creative workarounds for using YouTube PiP through Safari or the native iOS Shortcuts app. However, with iOS gaining official support soon, those complicated workarounds will no longer be required.
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