Picture in Picture (PiP) is a cool feature for iOS and iPadOS that lets you shrink videos to a smaller size, allowing you to do something else on the screen as the video continues to play.
PiP was introduced on the iPad in 2015 with iOS 9; it works on any iPad Pro, the 5th generation iPad and later, the iPad Air 2 and later, and the iPad mini 4 and later. For the iPhone, PiP is new for 2020 courtesy of iOS 14 and works on any model capable of running the latest OS version. PiP mode pops up to play your favorite videos on most websites with embedded videos, as well as on supported mobile apps, and you can move the window around the screen and tweak certain settings. Let’s see how this plays out.
Supported Websites
Website developers who want to enable PiP mode for videos need to use the Picture-in-Picture API. In iOS/iPadOS, all the major browsers support this mode, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, so you can use the browser of your choice. Here are just a few websites you can try:
- DailyMotion
- Hulu
- Netflix
- TED Talks
- Twitch
- YouTube
- Vimeo
To use PiP mode, start a video either full screen or in a window. You should see the PiP icon in one of the corners of the video (hint: it typically appears as two overlapping squares with the larger square displaying an arrow pointing to the smaller one). Tap that icon.
The video then shrinks into the smaller thumbnail window.
How you can use PiP differs among websites. In most but not all cases, you should be able to press down on the smaller window and drag it to move it anywhere on the screen. Tap the PiP window. You can now pause and resume the video. In some instances, you can skip ahead or go back in the video. For some websites, you may see a gear icon. Tap it and turn on the switch for Subtitles if it appears. Subtitles then display on the window.
In most cases, you can also resize the window. Press down on the video window with two fingers. Spread your fingers apart to enlarge the size of the video window; pinch them together to decrease the size.
To restore the video back to its original size, tap the PiP icon in the window. To stop the video and close the window, tap the X.
Unsupported Websites
Not every website supports Apple’s PiP API. If you come across such a stubborn site, there is another option: an app called PiPifier, which can shrink a web video into a small window.
Download and install PiPifier from the App Store. Fire up a video at any website. Tap the Share icon and swipe down the list of apps and services until you see an entry to Run PiPifier. You may need to tap the Edit Actions link and turn on the switch for PiPifier. Tap its entry, and the video shrinks into a small window that you can resize and move around the screen.
Supported Apps
For a mobile app to work with PiP mode, developers must add the necessary functionality, which means a lot of mobile programs still don’t support the feature. Further, some apps, such as Hulu, support PiP on the iPad, but not on the iPhone. A complete, up-to-date list of apps that support PiP is difficult to put together as more apps continue to jump onboard. In September 2020, the GadgetHacks website published a list of apps that do and don’t support PiP. The list has likely changed since then, but this is a good place to start. Here are a few apps you can try.
Video-Streaming Apps
Open a supported video-streaming app and fire up a video. Look for the familiar icon with the double squares in the top corner of the screen, like this on Hulu for iPad:
Tap the icon, and the video will shrink to the smaller window. You can then move the window around the screen, pinch or spread two fingers on the window to resize it, pause and play the video, and go back or skip ahead. Tap the icon on the small window to return it to full size.
Another option is to press the home button or swipe up from the bottom on your Apple device as the video plays, which will close out of the app but place the PiP box on your home screen, allowing you to open other apps, like Mail or Safari.
This should work on iPhone and iPad, but though it worked on iPad, I could not get PiP to work on the Hulu iPhone app. It worked fine on the iPhone apps for Netflix (swipe up or press the home button), HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime Video.
YouTube
YouTube works a bit differently than other apps. Start playing a video. Then tap the down arrow in the upper-left corner. The video shrinks to a small window, but you can’t move it or resize it. You can pause and resume the video. Swipe up on it to bring it back to full screen. Tap the X to close the video.
To get past the limitations in YouTube’s PiP functionality, as well as those of certain other apps, download and install an app called PiP-it! Picture in Picture. After a three-day free trial, the app will cost you $1.99. To use this with YouTube, select the video you want to watch. Tap the Share icon. Swipe through the list of actions, tap the More icon, and select Picture-in-Picture with PiP-it.
The video opens full screen. Tap the double-square icon to shrink the video. You can now move and resize the video window as well as go back or skip ahead.
Podcasts
Launch a video podcast in Apple’s Podcasts app. Tap the video to see it full screen. Tap the double-square icon in the upper left to shrink the video. You can move the video, resize it, pause and resume, and go back or forward. Tap the double-square icon to go back to full screen.
iTunes Store
You can shrink a video clip available in the iTunes Store for any movie or TV show that interests you. The process is the same as for most apps. Launch a video. Tap the double-square icon. You can then move, resize, and control the video playback.
FaceTime
To shrink a FaceTime video call, swipe up on the FaceTime screen.
The video automatically shrinks. You can then move the video window around the screen, resize it, control the sound and video, and end the call. To restore the window to its full screen size, tap the familiar double-square icon.
