Apple iOS 14 Tip: How To Use Picture In Picture Mode To Watch YouTube

KEY POINTS

iOS 14 brings Picture in Picture mode to the iPhone
The feature allows iPhone users to watch videos via a small window on the screen
The YouTube app doesn't have support for it yet, but there's a workaround

Apple added the Picture in Picture mode to the iPhone in iOS 14, allowing users to watch movies, TV shows and other videos via a small window while still being able to do other things on their handsets, such as texting and typing.

While Picture in Picture will allow users to watch all sorts of videos in a small pop-up on the iPhone screen, users will not be able to use the feature with the YouTube app until YouTube updates it to add support for it, MacRumors noted. That said, users will still be able to watch YouTube videos via Safari. Here's how:

First, users will need to launch Safari on an iPhone running on iOS 14.
Second, once the browser is up, users should head to the YouTube website.
Third, once there, users should search for a video they want to watch.
Fourth, with the video loaded, users should tap on the square icon at the bottom. This will put the YouTube media player in full screen.
Fifth, once the video is in full screen, users should tap on the display to access video playback controls, then tap on the Picture in Picture icon. This looks like a large screen (rectangle shape), with an arrow pointing to a smaller screen (smaller, solid-colored rectangle).
Alternatively, users can also swipe upwards from the bottom of the iPhone screen, or double-tap with two fingers on the screen, to enable Picture in Picture mode.

Once in Picture in Picture mode, users can swipe out of Safari to do other things using other apps on the iPhone or continue to browse Safari by opening other tabs. The Picture in Picture window can be moved to any part of the iPhone screen and can be resized with a double-tap.

Users who want to simply listen to what's being played and don't want to see what's on the screen can also drag the Picture in Picture window all the way to the edge of the screen. This will let the window continue playing the sound. Those who want to close the Picture in Picture window entirely can do so by tapping on the “X” to close it.