Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile
  3. Guides

How to use iOS 14’s picture-in-picture mode to watch video

By

With iOS 14, Apple has brought some intriguing new features to your iPhone (6s and newer). One of the most hotly anticipated of those is support for picture-in-picture (PiP) mode, which lets you watch a video while you perform other tasks on your phone. Apple’s iPadOS already supports this feature, but iOS 14 marks the first time you can play thumbnail-sized superimposed video on the iPhone.

Recommended Videos

Right now, PiP works with video from Apple’s signature apps like Safari, iTunes, Podcasts, Home, and FaceTime. Apple has a PiP API for iOS developers, which means we should it in other apps in the future. It’s up to independent developers to support PiP in their own apps.

Related

Viewing PiP in Apple’s apps

The PiP mode is enabled by default. But you can toggle off the feature entirely by going to Settings > General > Picture in Picture > Start PiP Automatically. If you have a video playing on your iPhone and swipe up from the bottom of the screen or press the Home button on older phones, whatever app you switch to, the video will pop up in its own window and continue playing.

As the video plays, you can reposition or resize it with a pinch to zoom gesture, and it scales nicely. While in PiP mode, you can continue to control playback by pausing or moving backward or forward to view the part you want. And you can tap a control to go full screen or close the video by tapping the X at the top left of the video window. If you no longer want to view the video it’s easy to get rid of it. Just swipe the video to either side of the screen and it will disappear as the audio continues to play. A small tab lets you drag the video back to your screen.

The larger your iPhone screen, the more benefit you’ll derive from PiP. While the feature works on smaller screens, there are more limited placement options if you want the largest viewer.

Use Mobile Safari to play YouTube videos

While the first app that comes to mind for the PiP feature would be YouTube, so far, that is one high-profile app for which this mode is not operative. But there’s no reason to fret. You can still view YouTube via PiP by accessing your selected video within Apple’s Safari browser. It’s a little awkward, but it’s doable via the following steps.

  • Launch your YouTube app and play a video.
  • Tap the Share button and then tap the Copy Link icon.
  • Launch the Safari app on your iPhone and paste the link in the URL bar.
  • Tap the play button to start playing the video. YouTube’s media player automatically gets replaced by Apple’s video player.
  • Tap the Full Screen icon so the video plays in its own window.
  • Tap the PiP button at the top of the screen.
  • Go back to the Home screen and launch any other app you want as the video continues to play on the screen.

Picture-in-Picture has been a sought-after feature that will likely alter the way many people use their iPhones. The ability to view video while reading or texting puts a brand new spin on multitasking. Sure, this feature has been available on Android for a while, and now many will rejoice that Apple has some skin in this game.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jackie Dove
Jackie Dove
Contributor
Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app…
AirTags range: here’s how far the tracker can reach
An AirTag attached on a keyring

Apple AirTags are a helpful tool for tracking valuable possessions like wallets, keys, luggage, and backpacks. These tags employ various technologies that allow you to track your items from short and long distances using your compatible Apple device, such as an iPhone 15 Plus. You might wonder how far you can track your items with AirTags. It's time to find out.
AirTags range, explained

The range of AirTags varies depending on the method you use to locate them. A Bluetooth connection will work when your AirTags are close to your supported Apple device. Otherwise, Apple's Find My network is utilized. Luckily, you don't have to choose the method because it's selected behind the scenes automatically.

Read more
An Apple insider just revealed how iOS 18’s AI features will work
An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying face-down outside, showing the Natural Titanium color.

As Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) inches closer, the chatter around the company’s AI work has taken a feverish turn. In a year when smartphone and computing brands have focused solely on AI niceties, Apple has been uncharacteristically silent around the AI hype — eliciting concern about the brand missing the train.

However, a new report has given us a closer look at how Apple's AI dreams may come to fruition with its iOS 18 update later this year.
New details on Apple's AI plans

Read more
Best iPhone deals: Save on iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro Max and more
iPhone 13 Pro in blue.

The Apple iPhone is likely the most popular smartphone of all time, and even older models are still seeing impressive sales. This popularity can make it difficult to find iPhone deals, but there are quite a few hanging around out there right now and some of them could be considered among the best phone deals currently taking place. And while you can always shop refurbished iPhone deals to ensure some savings, we think we’ve found some iPhone deals worth taking a look at right now. They include the newest model iPhone 15, so whether you’re looking for the latest and greatest or an iPhone that simply gets the job done, read onward and start shopping the best iPhone deals going on right now.
iPhone 15 128GB (AT&T) — $730, was $830 (plus up to $700 off w/ trade-in)

The Apple iPhone 15 finally brings with it Dynamic Island which we’ve only previously seen on the Pro range. It’s a real game changer at times and is very convenient. Alongside that, the Apple iPhone 15 has the Ceramic Shield front to keep it more protected while its 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display promises to be up to two times brighter than the iPhone 14 in the sun. There’s also a 48MP main camera with 2x telephoto lens to help you take great shots. The A16 Bionic chip has plenty of processing power to aid with software adjustments.

Read more