YouTube Says iOS Picture-in-Picture Coming to All Users 'in a Matter of Days' [Updated]

[mavis]

Odd. I just updated the YouTube app but it's still working for me (Premium, because ads are the worst). Actually, I don't even use PiP most of the time anyway - what I like is background audio. It's great being able to continue playing a video in the background, while doing other stuff on the phone. PiP is either too in the way or two tiny to be useful, depending on the window size.

 

[dontwalkhand]

I think a lot of people misunderstand the rules around this... There's a fine line that many developers walk, but Apple has long allowed core hardware and OS functionality to be unlocked via IAP as long as it's not the only thing being unlocked. The idea is that a developer can't just blatantly make money off Apple's work.

Here's the relevant portion of the App Store review guidelines:



However, lots of third-party apps do this, even from many smaller developers, so Google isn't getting any special treatment here. This has also been the norm for years. Push Notifications were a very common one in the early days — dozens of apps charged for this, but they did so indirectly. The key rule was that it was fine to enable Push Notifications as part of a paid tier as long as that tier included other stuff; developers simply couldn't charge a payment or subscription solely to enable a feature that Apple had already provided.

YouTube Premium easily falls within these rules, as it's a long-standing subscription plan that provides a lot more than just PiP. Folks made the same argument when Google locked background audio support behind YouTube Premium in iOS 4, but it was the same situation back then. Google wasn't charging to unlock background audio, it was simply doing so as part of a paid tier that offered ad-free listening and other benefits.

Not that I agree with what Google is doing here — I think it's patently absurd that it's taken it almost seven years to support a feature that Apple introduced in iOS 9. I chuckle these days when I think about how many folks used the word "finally" when Netflix added PiP support in June 2016.

Which is fine if they even paywalled the feature. But the thing is, they aren't even going to offer this even to premium subscribers. You just don't have PiP wether free or paid!

 

[dontwalkhand]

I deleted the YouTube app. I use Safari to use YouTube now, it just a better experience. Also its easier to play audio only with locked screen with no YouTube subscription (this should be a standard OS feature). And no annoying open in YouTube app banner.

I would love to do this too, but is there a way to prevent "auto" resolution being a paltry 360p despite being on a very good connection? I feel like they do this to force people to use the app.

 

[TACD]

I never use their app. So I’ll never see PiP.

Nah — get Vinegar and enjoy unmolested HTML5 YouTube video from within Safari (including restored PiP functionality)

 

[stiligFox]

I’ve been using Vinegar on iOS and macOS for a couple months now, and it’s been fantastic. No ads on YouTube anymore, and allows PiP just fine since it forces YouTube in Safari to use Apples native player.

Highly recommend, very much worth the 99¢!

 

[ric22]

I saw the title and wrote: Download Vinegar and watch YouTube PiP on iOS today. I didn't know it was as easy as that until yesterday.

I see everyone's saying the same thing!

By the way, it's $1.99, not 99cents.

 

[4491275]

It’s odd how this has worked via Safari for years but not the app. Main reason I’ve not been using the app.

They’ve been purposefully crippling one by one any ways to get it to work on iPhone. Many tricks or third party solutions will work for a little while but it has been pretty apparent it was deliberate on YouTube’s part to eliminate them because it actually worked natively in safari before they ever introduced the feature on the app… and this “experimental” status and need for workarounds only arrived after they decided to monetize it with premium. It was clearly a cash grab. But I’d rather have it late than never.

 

[ThatGuyInLa]

Interesting. I pay for Premium for AppleTV reasons and to support the content creators and being a creator on YT myself. I use YT more than any other streaming service. Especially since they started adding more films and TV shows for idle viewing while working throughout the day. Even the music app I find I use more than Apple Music. I’M A WEIRDO.

 

[lebaronlouis]

False alert !

Only for Youtube TV.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1513559862134902786

 

[Wackery]

Boo, youtube/google sucks

False alert !

Only for Youtube TV.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1513559862134902786

 

[GuruZac]

I have been running YouTube on Chrome on my iPhone / iPad to get PiP. Some claim you can do the same in Safari but for some reason I haven't had much success.

Just tried on my phone on both safari and chrome and neither worked with PiP. 2022 and a free feature on every other video app including YouTube on Android still isn’t a feature on one of the most broadly used phones on the market. Shame on Google.

 

[masterhiggins]

I’ve had this for a year already. It’s called use Brave Browser in desktop mode.

 

[Jett0516]

The truth is…it’s just more torture from YouTube to continuously play ads

Don’t update.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Right ... just like system dark mode is for everyone. I still do not have it and I have been a paying customer (granted, via India) for like 2 years. I had it for literally 2 minutes at some point and it went away again ?

Google’s half-stepping yet again.

So many developers/teams and cannot simply implement what they stated for all from the get go? This seems to be a trend in the tech industry

 

[alchemistmuffin]

Unfortunately for implementing Picture in Picture is how to incorporate ads for non premium users.

Google cannot make PiP an YouTube premium feature on iOS as main feature. This would actually violate App Store guideline of having all of iOS’s API used feature available to everyone.

Google uses iOS’s media playback API, not Google’s own they developed for Android. For example, background audio.

For non-premium users, video playback is paused, just as if you leave the app to do another thing. For premium users, audio track is actually separate from video, hence the different playback behavior and allows audio to continue playing in background.

So, while Google is ready to roll out PiP, they have to figure out how to incorporate video ads so it can be released to everyone and not run afoul with App Store Rules.

 

[Salvor Hardin]

Unfortunately for implementing Picture in Picture is how to incorporate ads for non premium users.

Google cannot make PiP an YouTube premium feature on iOS as main feature. This would actually violate App Store guideline of having all of iOS’s API used feature available to everyone.

Google uses iOS’s media playback API, not Google’s own they developed for Android. For example, background audio.

For non-premium users, video playback is paused, just as if you leave the app to do another thing. For premium users, audio track is actually separate from video, hence the different playback behavior and allows audio to continue playing in background.

So, while Google is ready to roll out PiP, they have to figure out how to incorporate video ads so it can be released to everyone and not run afoul with App Store Rules.

If that’s the reason then have they enabled PiP/background playback on Android for everyone?

 

[Jeven Stobs]

What’s the app? It drives me nuts you can’t play sound in the background.

Safari. Just Safari.
There are probably articles around explaining how you can make the most out of YT in Safari.

 

[quietstormSD]

I'm permanently going to use my browser from now on since I discovered while doing PiP with Safari on YouTube.com that my ad blocker for Safari blocks annoying YouTube ads.

Thanks YouTube!

 

[yegon]

I find it stupid to limit essential features like this behind a paywall. But I'm already a YouTube Premium subscriber, not because of PiP, because of no ads. Sure I could use an adblocker, but that's difficult when watching a lot using tvOS on Apple TV and whatnot. I also prefer to not block ads on YouTube, I would much rather that all the content creators that put out hours upon hours of content I consume at least get some kind of payment instead of me simply blocking all the ads with an adblocker. Paying for YouTube Premium won't help them much, but at least it's something instead of nothing.

Yeah this. PiP is nice, and I use it a bit, but far and away the primary reason I pay for Premium is no ads for all the reasons you stated. The idea that PiP alone is the chief reason to go Premium is laughable imo.

Plus, I personally use YT cumulatively more than any other streaming service. I’ve tried the other options via browser etc, and like tethering vs inbuilt cellular connections, I find one massively better and more convenient than the other.

 

[m0dest]

Oh, MacRumors... you found out that the headline was completely false and 80% of the article was completely false, and then decided to just add "[Updated]" to the false headline and a footnote at the bottom of the article?

Be better.

I got here via Google News, which showed your bogus headline.

 

[arian71]

adds everywhere in our lives. wonder why there is no alternative to youtube.. as someone above put it rightly a western/american product. sooner they go caput the better.

 

[nieks]

Just a few mentions in this topic about Vinegar. I've been using safari with the vinegar extension for weeks now, and it is a blessing.
- No ads.
- Normal system wide darkmode.
- The default Apple video player (HTML5 i believe?)
- Airplay .
- The choice for auto quality, 360, 720, 1080 or audio only.
- Picture in Picture.
- Keep the audio while locking the phone.

I'm never going back to the app.

 

[OS X Dude]

You

I don’t know how it works on Apple TV, but on iOS, just use YouTube in safari with an Adblock and the PiP shortcut. It works basically like YouTube Premium would, PiP, background sound (even with the screen locked) and no ads. Scrw the app anyway.

Good shout - what's the PiP shortcut? I have Wipr on Safari and I think that has ad-blocked pretty well thus far with the 'web app'.

 

[torontomax]

Just going to ask what's the catch and saw the update. I just can't believe how greedy and evil google became. They've changed internet now they're trying to take it back to pop up ad filled geocities era.

Even nowadays YouTube ads are getting way longer. I don't know how many times I had enough and just gave up trying to watch a video just because of the ads.

 

[rovex]

adds everywhere in our lives. wonder why there is no alternative to youtube.. as someone above put it rightly a western/american product. sooner they go caput the better.

Alternatives exist. Odysee, rumble, bitchute.

Google’s gotten too big for their own boots. Also YouTube’s gone downhill with all the censorship in recent years. I await the day it ceases to operate