Imagine you’re watching YouTube, and you suddenly remember you need to use another app on your phone or desktop. In that case, it can be a little annoying to see the YouTube video you’re watching turn into a small player floating on top of your screen and continuously playing in the background. Then, you’ll have to click it to maximize it again to pause or turn it off.
That YouTube feature is called the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. It allows premium YouTube users in the Philippines (free in the US) to continuously play the video they’re watching on a small frame on top of their other apps after exiting the app.
While this feature can be handy sometimes, it can still be a bit annoying, especially if you really want to exit YouTube or if you need to minimize your screen as your supervisor walks by. So, how can we easily turn this YouTube function off on our mobile phones?
What is YouTube’s Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature?
When the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature is turned on on your phone, you can exit YouTube to your home screen and continue watching the video. YouTube will shrink the video into a mini-player that continuously plays on top of your other apps. You can also drag it around your screen and click the maximize button to return to the main YouTube app.
The PiP feature is also available only for YouTube Premium users (unless you’re in the US). So, if you’re in the Philippines, you don’t have to worry about this feature unless you’re subscribed. But if you’re already subscribed and want to turn it off, here’s what you need to do.
Steps on how to turn off YouTube’s Picture-in-Picture mode
You can turn off the Picture-in-Picture feature of YouTube on these simple steps:
Switch off Picture-in-Picture on the YouTube app for iPhone and iPad
Step 1: Open your YouTube app.
Step 2: Click your Profile Picture (this can vary depending on your device or YouTube version).
Step 3: Click Settings and select General.
Step 4: Scroll down until you find Picture-in-picture. You will know if the PiP feature is turned on with the blue toggle to the right.
Step 5: Tap the toggle button to turn the Picture-in-picture feature off. It should move to the left side and turn to gray.
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How to remove YouTube Picture-in-Picture on Android
If you’re using an Android device, turning off the Picture-in-Picture feature takes a little bit more steps.
Step 1: Go to your Android Settings.
Step 2: Go to Apps & notifications.
Step 3: Go to the following: Advanced > Special app access > Picture-in-Picture.
Step 4: Tap YouTube.
Step 5: To turn off, tap Allow picture-in-picture.
Step 6: Your YouTube’s Special app access will change to “Not allowed.”
YouTube’s Picture-in-picture feature is a cool tool if you want to exit YouTube while still continuously playing in the background. It’s even more useful when watching or listening to a song or music video. However, it can sometimes be annoying, and you’ll have to turn the figure off.