Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The Apple TV doesn’t have picture-in-picture (yet) but here’s what it could look like

Apple has a history of launching products with a relatively limited feature set, and then expanding on them over time. With tvOS, introduced in the latest generation of Apple TV, the company seems to be taking this approach, but some developers are getting impatient and taking things into their own hands.

One missing feature often mentioned in connection with the Apple TV is the ability to watch video while browsing or launching another app, also known as picture-in-picture. Developer Steve Troughton-Smith decided to find out for himself how much of a challenge it would be to add this functionality to his own app, and it turns out it wasn’t all that difficult.

Recommended Videos

Troughton-Smith shared video footage of the feature on YouTube, and it seems to fit right in with the look of tvOS. “Wrote a PiP setup for my TV app. Love how it works – totally fits on tvOS. Not sure why not built-in yet,” the developer tweeted.

Given how easy the feature apparently was to implement, it’s puzzling that Apple has yet to add the feature on its own. As the demo shows, the Apple TV hardware is more than up to the task, and the iPad even got this feature in iOS 9, where it’s aptly named Picture in Picture.

For its part, Apple hasn’t announced any such functionality for the Apple TV, but that doesn’t mean it’s not on the way. The company could just be holding it back to release as part of a larger update.

Last week a report surfaced that not only was Apple still planning on offering a streaming TV service — which was originally supposed to launch with the fourth-generation Apple TV — but was in talks to produce its own original content. The report said that Apple planned to announce both the new content and streaming service in September, when it will also show the iPhone 7.

If picture-in-picture does officially come to the Apple TV, the September event would certainly be a good time to show it. In the meantime, take a look at the video to see the feature in action.

Related Offer: Amazon Prime – Instant Video

Kris Wouk
Former Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Will you benefit from the Apple TV’s new 21:9 aspect ratio?
Apple TV WWDC

Apple this week released the latest developer beta of tvOS 18.2, the software that powers the company's Apple TV 4K streaming media devices. As previewed during the WWDC 2024 keynote, the new software includes support for 21:9 and several other aspect ratios that are wider than 16:9, which has become the dominant shape for modern TVs.

Why does that matter?

Read more
Here’s what the inside of the iPhone 16 Pro looks like
A screenshot of the iPhone 16 Pro from iFixit's teardown video.

A bit over a week ago, we covered how the iPhone 16 is a major step forward in terms of repairability. Now, iFixit has posted its teardown video of the iPhone 16 Pro and the Pro Max, giving us a look inside the device and showing how all the components fit together. To quote the video, Apple has "massively simplified" the disassembly process and made it easier to access several vital components. The video is only about 10 minutes long, so give it a watch. The biggest takeaway? Apple has made it more repairable, earning a provisional score of 7/10 from iFixit.

The video shows the redesigned chassis and its back-glass entry, a far less risky alternative than entering the phone through the screen. If you've never done anything like this, it can feel intimidating in the same way that your high school bully (who you're pretty sure was in his early 20s) looming over you felt. There are lots of small components and connectors to keep track of, as well as fragile ribbon cables you need to be careful when removing.

Read more
Is the iPhone 16 in trouble? Early sales data doesn’t look good
The iPhone 16 laying face-down outside.

The iPhone 16 came out swinging, but its blows might lack a certain oomph. According to AppleInsider, a Morgan Stanley report states that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus sold roughly 37 million units in their first weekend. Despite this, demand appears to be lower than it was for the iPhone 15. This metric is measured in terms of lead times — in other words, how long it takes for your order to arrive once you click that "buy" button.

Lead times are much shorter this year compared to last year, indicating lower demand. Specifically, the times are as follows:

Read more