YouTube Picture-in-Picture (PiP) Not Working on iPhone & Android? Google Has a Fix Incoming

Google has confirmed it’s working to fix an annoying YouTube bug that’s preventing Picture-in-Picture (PiP) from working properly on some iPhone and Android devices. Instead of continuing to play inside the familiar floating window after leaving the app, videos disappear completely, leaving only the audio playing in the background.

YouTube says a fix is already in the works

The company acknowledged the issue through its official YouTube Help community after users began reporting that PiP mode stopped functioning as expected (via 9to5Google). According to Google, its engineers are actively investigating the problem and developing a software fix.

Rather than opening a floating player when users swipe away from YouTube, affected devices simply keep playing the audio while the video window never appears. Since the PiP controls are tied to that floating player, users also lose quick access to pause, resume, or close playback.

Google noted that reports have come from both Android and iPhone users, although most complaints so far appear to be coming from iOS devices.

Not every device appears to be affected

Speaking of the bug, it doesn’t seem to impact every phone running YouTube. Early reports suggest many affected users are using YouTube app version 21.28, but the issue isn’t consistent across all devices. Some Android phones, including certain Pixel models, continue to use Picture-in-Picture normally, suggesting the bug may depend on a combination of app version, operating system, and device configuration.

Google hasn’t shared when the update will roll out but confirmed that a fix is on the way. Until then, users experiencing the issue may have to settle for background audio playback whenever they leave the YouTube app, as the floating video window simply refuses to appear.