Picture-in-picture reportedly headed to Apple TV in tvOS 13

By Simon Cohen Published June 18, 2019

Picture-in-picture (PIP), a longtime feature of premium cable and satellite TV services, will make an appearance on Apple TV this fall when Apple releases tvOS 13 publicly, according to a report by 9t05Mac.com. Apple’s version of PIP will let you reduce the size of the video you’re currently watching to a small rectangle that will sit in the lower third of the screen. Once your show has been thus minimized, you will be able to surf for something better to watch, or perhaps something to keep you occupied while you’re watching your show.

The new feature apparently showed up in a developer release of tvOS 13, Apple’s next version of the Apple TV software that will bring with it several other features including a revamped Apple TV app, support for both PlayStation 4 DualShock and Microsoft Xbox One controllers, multi-user support, plus a refreshed Apple Music app that lets you see lyrics synced to the music.

Recommended Videos

Picture-in-picture will be limited to just the content within the Apple TV app, according to TechCrunch, which means that third-party video apps that live outside of the Apple TV app environment, like Netflix, won’t be able to be minimized using this feature. In some ways, this could be seen as an inducement to users to subscribe to third-party channels like HBO and Showtime within the TV app, instead of using the non-TV app option. If it is a TV app-only feature, it’s likely it will also show up on third-party smart TVs and the other devices that will support the Apple TV app.

There’s been speculation about the addition of PIP to Apple TV for years, and back in 2016, a developer actually integrated the feature into his own tvOS app to show just how easy it would be to do it. The feature has been added to more and more devices as both hardware and software matures and increases in processing power. It was added to the Android OS as of Oreo (Android 8), and Apple itself added the feature to iOS in version 9, starting with iPads.

There’s also the possibility that this feature may not actually be released at all. Sometimes items that appear in developer releases don’t make it all the way to general release, plus PIP was not among the features that were announced for tvOS 13 when Apple debuted the new software at its WWDC event in June.

Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…

Topics

Audio / Video

You Asked: Apple TV vs. your TV upscaling dilemma and perplexing pixelation

You Asked Ep 79

On today’s You Asked: Can you stop the Apple TV 4K from upscaling -- and should you? Why is HLG the broadcast standard for HDR and how did some folks get the Super Bowl in Dolby Vision or HDR10? Do secret 3D TVs exist? And why do dark scenes tend to look pixelated?
Stop the upscaling – or not?

Michael Sabin writes: I have a new TCL QM851 and use an Apple TV as the primary streaming device. I know you always recommend letting your TV perform all the upscaling, but I can't find a way to do this with Apple TV. If I set the resolution to 4K, it seems like everything gets upconverted to 4K. Do you know of a way to let Apple TV pass through the native resolution of the content?

Audio / Video

A native Android Apple TV app is now in the Google Play store

The Apple TV app on a Samsung Android phone.

It's been five years since the Apple TV app was launched, and we're now getting a version for Android devices -- built from the ground up for native Android integration -- in the Google Play store that will have the same Apple TV+ functionality as the Apple ecosystem version. The new app means users with Android OS 10 or later will finally have the ability to sign up for Apple TV+ on their Android-based phones and tablets to watch shows and movies like Severance, Silo, Killers of the Flower Moon, and CODA. There will be no difference in pricing on Android compared to Apple.

This should enable seamless interactivity across platforms for features such as Continue Watching -- which keeps track of where you are in a show or movie and allows you to pick up from that spot when you return, regardless of the device you watch on. Customer's Watchlist will be kept up to date across devices as well, and since purchases are linked to your Apple account, all the content you own will be accessible on any device with the new updated app. One thing missing at launch, though, will be the ability to cast Apple TV content from your Android device.

Audio / Video

Apple TV 4K vs. Google TV Streamer: Which streaming device is superior?

An Apple remote sits on top of an Apple TV 4k.

Choosing one of the best streaming devices for your home is more complicated than ever, thanks to the breadth of options available today. While you can access the most popular streaming services through each individual app, these streaming set-top boxes deliver a home entertainment hub that lets you watch everything from one place, along with checking out connected home functionality, different apps, and even games. There are plenty of different options worth checking out, but today we're comparing two of our favorites, Apple TV 4K and Google TV Streamer.

Both of these streaming devices feature an intuitive user experience, that's streamlined and designed to get you watching within minutes. However, that doesn't make it easier to choose between them. Apple TV delivers access to a variety of apps, games, a free three-month subscription to Apple TV+, connects to Apple Smart Home devices, and you can even connect your AirPods for private jam sessions.