YouTube is finally making one of its most useful features free for everyone. The platform has announced that picture-in-picture mode is rolling out globally on mobile, and users will not need a Premium subscription anymore.
This feature lets videos play in a small floating window while you use other apps. It will be available on both Android and iOS, but only for non-music content. Music playback will still remain a Premium feature.
This update improves how people use YouTube on their phones. You can now watch or listen to videos while replying to messages, browsing, or doing other tasks.
Earlier, free users had to keep the app open in full-screen. That limited multitasking and made the experience less flexible.
This move shows a change in YouTube’s strategy. The company is improving its free, ad-supported experience instead of keeping key features behind a paywall. It also reduces the need for workarounds that users often relied on to get similar functionality.
Using PiP is simple. Play a video and then swipe up or press the home button. The video will shrink into a floating window that you can move anywhere on the screen. If the feature is not available yet, updating the app may help. iPhone users will need iOS 15 or newer.
The feature is rolling out in phases, so it may take some time to reach all users. Once
