Learn what to do if YouTube’s Picture in Picture (PiP) stops working when you leave the app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
YouTube supports Picture in Picture. Sure, there are caveats, which we’ll talk about below, but ideally, you should be able to enjoy your favorite YouTube videos in a mini PiP window by simply swiping up from the bottom of the screen on an iPhone or iPad.
If this feature isn’t working for you, here are some solutions to fix it:
9 tips to fix Picture in Picture not working in the YouTube app
Follow these fixes on your iPhone or iPad to address this problem.
1. Get YouTube Premium
You must have a YouTube Premium subscription to use Picture in Picture playback in the official YouTube app on your iPhone or iPad. The subscription also includes benefits like ad-free playback, offline downloads, and background play, even in the YouTube Music app.
If you’re interested in YouTube Premium, you can sign up for a one-month free trial, and after that, it’s:
- Individual plan: $13.99 per month or $139.99 for 12 months (15% savings).
- Family plan: $22.99 per month. You can add up to five other family members, which means a total of six people (including you) can enjoy the premium benefits.
- Student plan: $7.99 per month. Note that it comes with three months of free trial.
Tip: If you decide to get YouTube Premium, subscribe directly from Google to save money, not through the Apple App Store.
The next eight solutions apply if you have a YouTube Premium membership but can’t use Picture in Picture. After that, I’ve included two legal ways to watch YouTube in Picture in Picture on your iPhone or iPad without a Premium membership.
2. Turn on system-wide Picture in Picture
You must enable Picture in Picture from iOS settings to enjoy YouTube videos in a floating PiP window.
- Open the Settings app and tap General.
- Tap Picture in Picture.
- Turn on Start PiP Automatically.
3. Enable Picture in Picture in YouTube settings
Picture in Picture might be annoying or unnecessary to some, thus, the YouTube app has an in-app setting to toggle it on or off. Make sure it’s enabled for videos to continue playing in the PiP mini-player.
- Open the YouTube app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap “You” in the bottom right, then touch the gear icon in the top right corner.
- Select Playback and make sure Picture-in-picture is switched on. If it was already on, turn it off and back on to refresh it.
Important: Even when all settings are enabled, the YouTube video will not start playing in Picture in Picture if it’s paused in the app. So, make sure the video is playing in the YouTube app, and then swipe up (or press the Home button) to exit the app while keeping the video playing in PiP.
4. Force quit and reopen YouTube
Picture in Picture playback may not work because of minor glitches in the app, and force quitting and reopening should do the trick.
5. Use the correct Google account in the YouTube app
You can add multiple Google accounts to your iPhone and Google apps like Gmail, Drive, Photos, and YouTube. Before proceeding, ensure the correct account, subscribed to YouTube Premium, is signed in to the YouTube app.
- Open the YouTube app and tap “You” in the bottom right.
- Tap the Switch account button, and it will list all the Google accounts added to this iPhone or iPad. The account presently being used for YouTube on this device is mentioned at the top.
- If the account at the top doesn’t say “YouTube Premium,” tap the other account where you see “YouTube Premium“ under the email address.
6. Restart your iPhone or iPad
Operating system glitches may be causing the issue with your Picture in Picture. As a precaution, try turning your iPhone or iPad off and back on again. This should help.
7. Update the YouTube app
Having an outdated app version is an invitation to living with potential bugs and issues. Tap this App Store link and see if there is a YouTube app update available for your iOS device.
8. Get the latest iOS version
To ensure everything runs smoothly, head over to the iPhone or iPad Settings > General > Software Update to install the most recent version of iOS and iPadOS.
9. Delete and reinstall the YouTube app
This will remove all downloaded videos and also clear the app’s cache and data, ensuring you get a fresh start. After you delete and reinstall the YouTube app, sign in to the right Google account with the Premium membership. Additionally, enable Picture in Picture or background play if you see a pop-up, or follow the above steps to turn it on manually.
Use Picture in Picture without YouTube Premium
If you don’t have YouTube Premium, you can’t use Picture in Picture within the official app. However, with these two alternatives, you can still watch YouTube videos in a small PiP window while using other apps.
In Safari
Picture in Picture support for YouTube in Safari is inconsistent. Sometimes it works, but other times Google prevents it. On iPad, you can usually use PiP for YouTube without issues, but on iPhone, it may not work, even with the desktop version of YouTube. Nevertheless, here are the steps if you’d like to give it a try.
- Visit YouTube.com in Safari and play a video.
- Tap the full-screen button from the bottom right of the video player.
- Tap the Picture in Picture icon.
- Now, exit Safari by swiping up, and the video should continue playing in the PiP window.
With PiPifier
It’s a free Safari extension for iPhone and iPad that adds Picture in Picture support for almost all web videos, including YouTube. I’ve tested it, and found that it works well for YouTube videos in Safari on iPhone.
1) Get the PiPifier extension for free from the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
2) Visit YouTube in Safari, tap the options button in the address bar, then choose Manage Extensions.
3) Turn on the switch for PiPifier and tap Done.
4) Refresh the YouTube.com web page in Safari and play a video.
5) Finally, tap the options button and touch PiPifier to enjoy the YouTube video in Picture in Picture.
Tips to fix YouTube Picture in Picture not working on Mac
Unlike phones, you don’t need a premium YouTube subscription to watch videos in Picture in Picture on your computer. Simply trigger Picture in Picture on the YouTube video player screen in Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, and you’re good to go. If YouTube Picture in Picture doesn’t work on your computer, trying the following tips:
- Refresh the YouTube.com tab.
- Copy the YouTube video link and reopen it in another tab.
- Quit and reopen the web browser.
- Make sure your browser is updated.
- Restart your Mac.
- Clear browser cache and history.
- Try another web browser.
Also, check out: 33 quick tips to use YouTube like a pro on your iPhone or iPad