YouTube's Picture-in-Picture feature on its iPhone app has vanished into thin air after the video-sharing platform tested it for several months on iOS.
A picture taken on October 5, 2021 in Toulouse shows the logo of Youtube social media displayed by a by a tablet and a smartphone. (Photo by Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP)
YouTube Kills Picture-in-Picture on iPhone App
That said, YouTube is killing the picture-in-picture feature on iOS without officially launching it to iPhone and iPad users.
As per a news story by 9to5Google, the picture-in-picture on the iPhone app of YouTube started rolling out way back in June 2021 as an experimental function.
The experimental feature was made available to YouTube Premium subscribers, requiring a few tweaking to enable picture-in-picture on iPhones.
But this time around, the Google-owned video-sharing platform has already ended the run of its experimental feature for both its iPhone and iPad apps.
YouTube Picture-on-Picture Disabled
Google is now telling YouTube users that the picture-in-picture "feature you're trying has been turned off," making it inaccessible to tons of iPhone and iPad users.
A customer sets the Touch ID of his new Iphone 7 at Puerta del Sol Apple Store the day the company launches their Iphone 7 and 7 Plus on September 16, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus has been launched on Friday September 16th in more than 25 countries. Customers have started to queue 38 hours before the opening of the store placed in the center of Madrid.
On top of that, according to a recent report by Apple Insider, YouTube has already removed options to either enable or disable the said feature.
However, 9to5Google further added in its report that some YouTube users still appear to have access to the feature even if it has been disabled already.
In fact, some iPhone owners, who enabled the feature before it was completely disabled, are saying that the picture-in-picture option on YouTube is still working on their devices.
That said, those who have previously enabled picture-in-picture while it was being tested for several months could still experience it.
However, it is still unclear if Google will also be removing the feature from its previous users, making it a temporary enjoyment for them.
YouTube Kills Picture-in-Picture Test
AppleInsider noted in its report that YouTube has been testing out the picture-in-picture feature on its iOS app since August 2021.
It is worth noting, though, that the said feature was exclusively available to YouTube Premium subscribers.
Thus, those using the video streaming service for free with ads did not have any picture-in-picture feature to test out.
Read Also: YouTube Podcasts: New Platform Hints at RSS Feed Exclusive for Service-But When Is It Coming?
YouTube Picture-in-Picture: How it Works
The picture-in-picture feature on YouTube lets its Premium users watch videos on the platform even as they browse other apps on their iPhones via a mini floating screen.
If the said feature has become a handy thing for you, don't fret. Google is likely launching it on YouTube TV in the near future, 9to5Google says in its report.
Related Article: YouTube TV: Picture-in-Picture Available on iOS 15, But Do You Need to be on Premium?
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Teejay Boris
