Let’s admit it! Watching YouTube videos in PiP mode on iPhone is something that most of us have wanted for a long time. Unfortunately, Google had kept this popular feature away from the reach of iOS users, including the premium subscribers, for the reasons best known to it. However, the long wait has ended for all YouTube Premium users as they can now use YouTube picture-in-picture (PiP) mode on iPhone. But what about iOS users who aren’t premium YouTube subscribers? Worry not, as there are a couple of reliable hacks to enable YouTube PiP mode on your iPhone for free. So let’s check them out.
Back in June earlier this year, Google announced that it would roll out PiP support for YouTube Premium members on iOS. Well, instead of delaying the release, the picture-in-picture mode is now available to test for Premium subscribers on iPhone. However, there’s a catch. iOS users can try out the experimental picture-in-picture (PiP) feature only until October 31. So, if you have a YouTube Premium subscription, you can use the YouTube PiP mode on your iOS device right now.
- Enable and Use YouTube Picture-in-Picture (PiP) on iPhone
- Watch YouTube Videos in Picture-in-Picture (PiP) via Safari on iPhone
- Watch YouTube in Picture-in-Picture (PiP) Mode Using Siri Shortcut
Enable and Use YouTube Picture-in-Picture (PiP) on iPhone
- Open a browser of your choice and head over to youtube.com/new. Make sure you are a YouTube Premium subscriber and have signed in to your Google account.
Now, if you don’t wish to buy a Youtube Premium subscription, you can watch YouTube videos in picture-in-picture (PiP) mode via Safari on your iPhone. I have tried this nifty workaround on my iPhone running iOS 15, and it worked pretty well for me. Follow the steps below to learn how it works:
At times, it’s better to demonstrate things in the video format for better understanding. That’s why I have included this demo to show off the YouTube PiP mode is in action. The best part about this workaround is that it works both on iPhone and iPad. The YouTube picture-in-picture (PiP) mode under testing right now is finicky and doesn’t work well on iPad.
Watch YouTube in Picture-in-Picture Mode Using Siri Shortcut
Though the process of creating a Siri shortcut for YouTube PiP mode is a bit tedious affair, the end result is pretty sweet. Once you have made the YouTube PiP mode shortcut, you can play any video in picture-in-picture mode with ease on your iPhone.
Next, choose the “Run JavaScript on Web Page” option, which is located under the Safari section.
Tap on “Deselect All” at the upper right corner and only select Safari web pages.
