YouTube picture-in-picture stops working for many iPhone users

YouTube’s picture-in-picture (PiP) feature lets you keep a video playing in a small floating player after you return to the Home Screen and use another app.

Many users can no longer access picture-in-picture. YouTube has acknowledged the issue, and iPhone and iPad users account for most reports.

YouTube picture-in-picture fails to launch

When affected users return to the Home Screen while a video plays in the YouTube app, picture-in-picture does not launch.

Most reports come from users of the iOS YouTube app, though some Android users have reported the same issue.

I do not own an iOS device, so I could test the issue only on Android. I could not reproduce it on my device, where I use a YouTube Premium subscription.

Google has acknowledged the issue and says its team is investigating. At the time of writing, Google has not shared any progress updates or an estimated fix date.

How to check your picture-in-picture settings

Before you determine whether this issue affects your device, check your picture-in-picture settings.

You can check the settings on iOS and Android by following the steps below. The Android steps may differ by device.

How to check picture-in-picture settings on iPhone

On an iPhone or iPad, you need to enable picture-in-picture in both iOS and the YouTube app.

Follow these steps to check your iPhone settings.

1. Open [Settings] on your iPhone

2. Tap [General]

3. Tap [Picture in Picture]

4. Turn on [Start PiP Automatically]

After you check your iPhone settings, check the YouTube app settings.

1. Open the YouTube app

2. Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner

3. Tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner

4. Tap [Playback]

5. Turn on [Picture-in-picture]

How to check picture-in-picture settings on Android

As with iOS, you need to enable picture-in-picture in both Android and the YouTube app.

Follow these steps to check your Android settings.

1. Open [Settings] on your Android device

2. Tap [Apps]

3. Select [YouTube]

4. Tap [Picture-in-picture]

5. Turn on [Allow picture-in-picture]

After you check your Android settings, check the YouTube app settings.

1. Open the YouTube app

2. Tap your profile picture

3. Tap the gear icon

4. Tap [Playback]

5. Turn on [Picture-in-picture]

Conclusion

YouTube users have reported an issue that prevents them from using picture-in-picture in the app.

Most affected users have reported the issue on iOS, though some Android users have encountered it as well.

At the time of writing, Google has acknowledged the issue and says its team is investigating. Users will need to wait for an app update that fixes the problem.