YouTube is expanding free Picture-in-Picture (PiP) on iPhone to more users worldwide

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YouTube is expanding its picture-in-picture support on iPhone and iPad, bringing the feature to more users outside the U.S. and beyond its earlier Premium-only limitations.

Until now, PiP on iOS has had a fragmented rollout. In the United States, even non-Premium users could access it for certain types of content, while in most other regions, the feature remained tied to a Premium subscription. With this update, YouTube is widening access, particularly for long-form, non-music videos.

Picture-in-picture is expanding beyond Premium

With this update, non-Premium users outside the U.S. are finally getting access to picture-in-picture for long-form, non-music videos, something that was earlier limited to specific regions or paid plans. It makes the feature more consistent globally, rather than depending on where you are.

For paid users, the current setup stays the same. Premium Lite subscribers can continue using PiP for long-form videos, while full Premium members retain access to PiP across both music and non-music content.

Music is where the difference still shows up. Picture-in-picture and background playback for music are not part of the free experience and remain tied to the full Premium subscription, so that part isn’t changing with this rollout.

How picture-in-picture works

Picture-in-picture keeps the video playing even after you leave the app. On iPhone and iPad, switching apps or going to the home screen shrinks the video into a small window that stays on top.

That window can be moved around, resized, or tucked to the side while the audio keeps playing. It’s handy when you’re doing something else on your phone but don’t want to pause the video.

Rollout timeline

YouTube says the updated PiP availability will roll out gradually over the coming months. As with most staged rollouts, access may vary initially depending on region and account type before becoming more widely available.

Do you find picture-in-picture useful for everyday viewing? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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