How to enable YouTube background play on your phone

YouTube is a popular online platform that spreads entertainment, learning and earning opportunities around the globe. Initially, there was no sign that YouTube would receive such exposure. But a time has come when people are using YouTube for core studies and careers. The typical YouTube app has features like speed, quality, and channel management. There is one thing left.

The policy of YouTube is that every video has an ad. These ads are annoying, but viewers do not want to see them. Further, YouTube has introduced a premium version for which users will not be bombarded with advertisements. Additionally, he can freely use YouTube with other apps. I am talking about the Picture-in-Picture-Out option that many users need to learn about. We will tell you more about it here.

How to enable YouTube background play on your phone?

Purchasing YouTube Premium is a way to get Picture in Picture out mode. With this feature, you can play YouTube videos in the background. More specifically, Picture-in-Picture (PIP) is a feature on YouTube that allows users to watch videos in a small window. At the same time, they continue to browse the app or use other apps on their device. In terms of control, you can pause, play, and move the PIP window around the screen. You can also adjust the size of the window.

After finding out what Picture-in-Picture does, you must know its eligibility criteria. You should first subscribe to YouTube Premium (starting plan @₹129/month). For those who do not subscribe to YouTube Premium and are located in the US, PIP can still be used, but with some restrictions. Apart from that, your Android phone must be Android version 8.0 (Oreo), and for iOS, it is version iOS 15. After you’ve completed these steps, you can follow the instructions below to enable PIP mode on your phone.

Note: For iOS, go to settings >> General >> Picture-in-Picture >> Tap Start PIP Automatically. Steps 4 and 5 are the same.

1. On your Phone settings, Go to Apps & notifications >> Advanced Special app access >> Picture-in-picture.
2.  Next, tap on YouTube. 
3.  To enable it, tap Allow picture-in-picture.
4.  Once done, go to your YouTube app settings >> General.
5.  Lastly, toggle on the Picture-in-Picture option, and you are done.

Besides that, a few users are asking if they can run PIP on browsers?. For them, the simple answer is that browsers do not support it. However, you can use the mobile browser version of YouTube or a VPN (recommended: NordVPN) to access PIP. Along with this query, some users experience difficulty using PIP. The option actually displays an error on their phone. To fix the PIP not working error, follow the steps below.

Clear the YouTube App Cache

When corrupted, cache files will cause errors in the app in which they are stored. In such a case, you need to clear the cache. If you have met the PIP eligibility requirements mentioned above and still get an error. First, try clearing the cache files of the YouTube app. You can do it through Settings >> Apps >> YouTube >> Clear Cache.

Check PIP availability in your region.

If PIP is unavailable in your region, how can you use it?. So, the simple task is to go to the YouTube Premium page and look for PIP. From there, look for your region. You can still use it even if your area does not support PIP. You can change your part through your Google account settings. However, you may need to purchase premiums again when you move to another region. You can either wait for your region to receive PIP.

Conclusively, these are the relevant things about Picture-in-Picture-out mode. From now on, I hope you know what it is and how to enable it. In addition, we mentioned the eligibility requirements, so make sure to comply with them; otherwise, it will result in an error. So enjoy YouTube even with other apps. If any user still has a question, just ask it below after explaining everything.

Frequently Asked Questions