6 Fixes Youtube Picture-in-picture (PiP) not working

I know how frustrating it is when the picture in picture mode is no longer working; today’s article is dedicated to solving it. I have gathered all the working tips and tricks from the internet from the YouTube comment. 

You might be surprised that the YouTube comment section has gold in it. People are telling what they have done to fix their picture in picture mode that stopped working on the YouTube app on their Android or iOS.

What is YouTube picture-in-picture?

What is a Youtube picture-in-picture gif

YouTube Picture in Picture (PiP) mode is a great feature that allows you to watch videos in a small, resizable window while using other apps or to browse the internet. 

By the end of this article, picture mode will start working again on YouTube, so let’s dive in.

How to Fix YouTube Picture-in-Picture (pip) Not Working

1. Is Pip Mode Enabled?

The second most important thing is to check if the picture in picture mode is disabled from the YouTube app settings.

More often, when you have recently updated your YouTube app, restarted your Smartphone, or cleared all data of YouTube, including the cache, PiP mode would be disabled.

So here is how to turn on PiP in the YouTube app: 

1. Open the YouTube app.

opening youtube app on smartphone

2. Tap on your profile picture.

Red Arrow pointing Youtube Profile-min

3. Tap on the settings from the bottom.

Red rectangle on Youtube settings-min

4. Tab general and then unable to picture in picture mode.

picture in picture mode in youtube app highlighted

That’s the easy way to enable PiP on a YouTube application; this is similar to any OS you use.

image of android home screen with a video playing from youtube pip

2. Check YouTube App Updates

YouTube update

First, you must ensure that your app is up to date and running on the latest version. Frequently, when YouTube suddenly stops picture-in-picture mode, it might be caused due to a new update that the Play Store/app store got for YT.

If you cannot update the YouTube App, here’s a guide to fix can’t update Youtube from Google Play.

3. PiP Mode from Settings (device)

If you cannot picture in picture mode from the YouTube app but still want to use this feature, you probably haven’t enabled it from your mobile settings.

image of android with youtube picture in picture mode settings with a video playing

If you are one of the users who recently updated his Smartphone or updated anything on your Smartphone, then settings might change.

youtube commetns which indicates that enabling pip from mobile settings fixed yt

Also, you must know that picture-in-picture mode is available on any Android device or iOS. To enable it, search in the mobile settings.

How to Enable Pic-in-Pic from Settings

Here is how to enable picture-in-picture mode from mobile settings for YouTube:

1. Open the mobile settings.

open the settings

2. Search for the picture in the picture.

picture in picture mode in mobile settings highlighted

3. Get into picture-in-picture options.

4. Scroll down and enable it for YouTube.

image of android in hand with pip settings for youtube opened and a video playing

4. Check Your VPN

Now. Here is one more thing that you need to ensure. I have found it on YouTube comments. I would link all the screenshots so you can understand better.

youtube comments which shows because of VPN they're unable to use pip mode on youtube app

So one of the responses to why YouTube pip stopped working; check this what he commented: 

As I found out, the issue for me was that I had my VPN on for somewhere in Europe, which goes back to North America, and it works. I guess YouTube hates Europeans. 

As you can see in the screenshot, this is what comments look like, and most people agree. If you are one of the people using a VPN while using YouTube, ensure you have yet to connect to European regions.

Moreover, people in the United States have a pictures-in-picture mode for almost every device, but people outside the US must pay a premium or buy a premium to get these features.

So if you are someone from the United States and using a VPN from an Asian country, you won’t get the picture in picture mode.

The reasons I shared above are one of the most common reasons that one user might encounter, and one user might use them to fix the error.

Moreover, if you are someone from Asia, you must use the United States VPN to use the picture and picture mode for free.

Now here are multiple ways to fix it. I have shared the significant ways which could be the real culprit, but what if they are not? If the above things do not work, then definitely these are the other ways or alternative ways that you can use right now:

5. Clear Cache

clear cache button from the device settings applicable for any app

One of the alternative ways you can do right now is to clear the cache of the YouTube app. If you want to do it, get into mobile settings, get into all apps, select the YouTube app, and then get into the storage options of it.

At last, tap on clear cache and re-open the app.

6. Restart Your Device

Also, you can restart a device when you see that PiP on YouTube has stopped working. Then, give your Smartphone a restart, and you can do this by clearing the cache and restarting the Smartphone. This is more beneficial.

power menu to restart, power off or emergency call

That’s it for the fixes for PiP, but if you want to use the picture in picture mode right now on your Smartphone if you are listening to music or watching any podcast and want to play it in the background while using other apps, then here is a superb Technique for you.

Alternative to PiP for YouTube

image of android in my hand and playing a youtube video in picture in picture

If you are a Smartphone user, and you are, here is the best hack you would ever find on the internet.

1. Open any web browser on your Smartphone. 

open browser gif

2. Open m.youtube.com there and log in with your account.

Opening the YouTube website from the Browser on smartphone

3. Search or play any YouTube video you want to watch in picture and picture mode.

opened m.youtube.com to play videos

4. Then press the home button.

playing youtube video in chrome in pip

Now get into the quick access panel and tap the play button to play video in the background while using other apps.

image of phone in hand with pip video playing from youtube

To fix YouTube’s picture-in-picture mode not working, first, check compatibility, enable it from app settings, clear the app cache, enable the mode from device settings, and check the VPN location. If none work, update the app or reset the device. Contact YouTube support if the issue persists.

Conclusion

Some of you guys might be serious right now when the feature of the overlay videos on YouTube stops working.

However, this picture benefits those who want to watch a video while using any other App or texting.

In this article, I have shown you how to fix a picture in a picture that is not working on the YouTube app and how you can fix this instantly by applying the fixes that we provide in this article.

I hope you found the article helpful. If you do, share this article or let me know in the comments below if you have any queries specifically about YouTube or any suggestions you want to give to people; then, the comment section is open for you.

Kunal
Kunalhttps://fixing-mostly.com/author/kunal-kashyap/
Kunal Kashyap, the tech guru behind FixItKunal.com, simplifies complex tech issues with clear and user-friendly guides. With expertise in Android, iOS, and more, his tutorials empower users to tackle tech problems confidently. Kunal's engaging style makes technology accessible to both beginners and experts. Beyond tech, he explores psychology and keeps up with tech and business trends awarded by the Government and Namita Thapar.

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