After months of testing, Google has now started rolling out support for picture-in-picture capability in its YouTube TV app but it requires Apple’s iOS 15 software.
- YouTube TV is rolling out support for picture-in-picture mode to its iOS app, allowing you to watch a show in a floating window while using another app.
- Simply start watching something in the app, then swipe up from the bottom to activate picture-in-picture mode like you normally would in other apps.
- Google says picture-in-picture in YouTube TV requires iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 and later. Picture-in-picture has been available for years on Apple devices.
YouTube TV gains picture-in-picture on iOS 15
Google has made the announcement on Twitter, saying all you need to do to get started with picture-in-picture is choose something to watch in the app, then swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Read: How to use picture-in-picture on iPhone
You’ll return to the home screen, with the video playing in a floating window that you can move around, make bigger or smaller or swipe away to the left or right side of the screen if you’d like to focus on the audio without visual distractions. Picture-in-picture capability requires the refreshed YouTube TV app [App Store link].
Your iPhone/iPad must be running iOS 15/iPadOS 15.
Google is way overdue in bringing such an essential feature to its video app. Apple first launched picture-in-picture with the September 2015 release of the iOS 9 software. It took the company six additional years to bring picture-in-picture to the iPhone and iPod touch with iOS 14. Read: How to watch YouTube in PiP on macOS
YouTube TV streams live TV, on-demand video and DVR from nearly a hundred TV networks in the United States, including the big three broadcast networks. The US-only service is available in exchange for $64.99/month, which buys you unlimited access to its cloud-based DVR service for up to three devices. YouTube TV is also available on Android devices, computers, consoles and more.
To learn more about YouTube TV, visit tv.youtube.com.