How to use picture in picture (pip) video on an ipad

Source: iMore

Picture-in-picture (PiP) isn’t a new concept: It’s existed on television and computer displays for years to let you view multiple items simultaneously. On the iPad, picture-in-picture lets you watch video from an app or the web while working in other programs.

Note: Developers need to enable PiP support in their apps or web services in order for it to work. If you don’t see the PiP button on your favorite app or web site, let the developer know you want it.

What iPad models support picture-in-picture mode?

Picture-in-Picture mode is available on iPad Pro (all models), iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 and later, and iPad mini 4 and later.

How to enter picture-in-picture mode on the iPad

Tap the video you’re watching.

Tap the picture-in-picture button in one of the corners of the video window.

Source: iMore

Picture-in-picture mode will also launch automatically if you leave a PiP-enabled app while the video is playing. (That’s how you can put FaceTime into PiP mode, for example.)

How to adjust the picture-in-picture window on the iPad

Picture-in-picture video defaults to roughly quarter-screen size (with amble transparent border) and the lower left-hand side of the display, but you can easily resize and reposition it.

Pinch two fingers together to shrink the PnP window.

Spread two fingers apart on the window to expand the PnP window.

Source: iMore

To reposition it, you simply drag the window with one finger.

Source: iMore

If you need to use your full iPad screen for something else but don’t want to stop listening to the video’s audio, instead of closing the picture-in-picture window, you can simply tuck it away for a time.

Drag the PnP window all the way to the left or right of the screen.

Tap the PnP window tray to bring the window back out onto the screen.

Source: iMore

How to interact with the picture-in-picture window

In addition to the multitouch controls, there are three hover buttons on the PiP pane itself:

• Return to app, which has two rectangles and an arrow; tapping it will return the video to its original app and restore it to full screen.
• Play/pause, which does what it says.

Close, which will end video playback.

Source: iMore

How to disable PiP video on the iPad

Since the picture-in-picture video can start automatically when you leave an app during playback, it may not be ideal in all situations. Fortunately, Apple gives you a way to disable that.

Launch Settings from your Home screen.

Source: iMore

Tap on Home Screen & Dock.

Source: iMore

Tap on Multitasking under the Multitasking & Dock section.

Source: iMore

Toggle Picture in Picture to the white OFF position.

Source: iMore

To re-enable it, simply repeat the process, but turn it ON instead of OFF.

Other questions about picture-in-picture mode?

Let us know in the comments.

Updated December 2019: Updated for iPadOS 13.

Serenity Caldwell contributed to an earlier version of this guide.

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Picture in Picture is an iPad-multitasking feature that lets you watch a video (in a supported app), or conduct a FaceTime call in a small window while using another app. While powerful, figuring out how it works takes some practice. Here’s how to use it.

What Is Picture in Picture?

Picture in Picture (PiP) scales down a video or FaceTime call to a small movable window that stays in the corner of your screen while you use other apps. It is especially handy when you might need to reference a video while working, or in situations where you’d like to continue on a video call while using your iPad for other tasks.

Apple first introduced Picture in Picture alongside other iPad multitasking features in iOS 9, which launched in 2015. It’s available on iPad Pro or later, iPad (5th generation) or later, iPad Air 2 or later, and iPad mini 4 or later. All iPad models currently sold by Apple support Picture in Picture.

Not every video app supports Picture in Picture, but official Apple made apps like Facetime and Apple TV do. Several major streaming video apps (such as Netflix and Prime Video) support it as well. You can also play certain videos from Safari in Picture in Picture mode.

Third-party developers must specifically choose to support the feature for it to work properly. There is no master list of Picture in Picture supported apps, so you’ll have to use trial-and-error to see if your favorite video apps work with it.

How to Launch Picture in Picture on an iPad

To use Picture in Picture, first open an app that supports it. In some apps (such as Apple TV), you can easily launch Picture in Picture by tapping its icon, which looks like two overlapping rectangles with a diagonal arrow pointing down and to the right inside one of them.

In other apps, you can only launch Picture in Picture by returning to the Home screen.

To return to the Home screen, you can either press the Home button (on iPads with a Home button), or by using a Home screen gesture on iPads without a Home button. There are two gestures that return to the Home screen: perform a five-finger pinch on an app, or swipe upward from the bottom of the screen until the Home screen appears.

Once you launch Picture in Picture correctly, the video you are watching (or the video call you are participating in) will turn into a Picture in Picture window in the corner of your screen. You can then launch another app, and the Picture in Picture window will remain as an overlay on the screen.

To reposition the Picture in Picture window, you can tap and drag it to any of the four corners of the screen.

You can also resize the Picture in Picture window by performing the pinch/expand zoom gesture using two fingers. Place two fingers on the video pane and spread them apart or bring them together.

How to Use Picture in Picture Video Playback Controls

If you are playing a video using Picture in Picture (and not making a FaceTime call), tap the Picture in Picture window once to reveal three control buttons.

From left to right, tapping on the first button makes the Picture in Picture video occupy the full screen of your iPad (ending Picture in Picture mode). The second button pauses or plays the Picture in Picture video. The third button (the “X” in a circle) closes the Picture in Picture window completely.

How to Use FaceTime Picture in Picture Controls

If you’re using FaceTime in Picture in Picture mode, you can tap the Picture in Picture window to reveal or hide three control buttons.

Apple, Inc.

From left to right, tapping on the first button makes the FaceTime call occupy the full screen of your iPad. The second button ends the FaceTime call. The third button “pauses” your video feed, closing the Picture in Picture window but keeping the call open in the background as audio only. You can resume the video feed by tapping on the small green call logo in the status bar at the top of the screen.

How to Hide the Picture in Picture Window on iPad

To temporarily hide or minimize the Picture in Picture window, swipe it quickly toward the left or right edge of the screen (whichever edge is closest). It will turn into a small tab with a carat-style arrow on the edge of the screen.

To see the Picture in Picture window again, tap on the tab, and it will reappear nearby.

How to Close Picture in Picture on iPad

Once you’re done with Picture in Picture mode, you can get rid of the window by tapping on it once to see the on-screen controls. Then tap on the close button (which looks like an “X” in a circle), and the window will disappear.

If you’d like to close the FaceTime Picture in Picture window, tap on the window to reveal the control buttons. You can either return to full screen by tapping the Picture in Picture icon (on the far left), or tap the hang up icon (it looks like a phone handset in a circle) and the window will disappear.

Learn More About iPad Multitasking—or Disable It Completely

Multitasking features on the iPad can be quite useful if you get the hang of them. Because of the nuances of the gestures involved, they do take patience and practice to get just right.

But if you prefer to use the iPad as a single-task device, or you keep bringing up extra app windows or Picture in Picture by accident, you can easily turn off multitasking features in Settings.

Picture In Picture mode allows iPad users to open a floating video player or FaceTime chat that persists in a small overlay while doing other activities in iOS. For example, you could be working in Pages or drawing in Notes while watching your favorite sports team in a hovering player window with PiP, it works a bit like hovering a video or FaceTime call over some other application window on a desktop computer. This is a great multitasking feature for iPad users, and it’s easy to use.

To use Picture In Picture (PIP) mode for video or FaceTime, you’ll need an iPad with iOS 9 or later, the rest is just a matter of accessing the feature in one of several ways. The two easiest are with the Home button or by manually sending a video or call into PIP mode.

Method 1: Enter Picture In Picture Mode on iPad from FaceTime or a Video Player

Perhaps the easiest way to enter into Picture In Picture mode is if you’re already in an active FaceTime video chat or watching a video in a compatible player app:

1. With FaceTime video call active, or a video playing, press the Home button to shrink the video to the corner of the screen into Picture in Picture mode
2. Open any other application as usual, the PIP video will stay in the corner

Once the PIP video is playing, you can resize it or move it around to elsewhere on the screen by tapping and dragging. You can also tap once on the Picture In Picture video to see the video player controls, like pause and play, or hangup and mute for FaceTime.

Method 2: Entering Picture In Picture Mode on iPad from a Playing Video Manually

Another approach is to manually send a video or FaceTime chat into PIP mode:

1. Start playing a video as usual from the web or a supported app, then tap to reveal the typical play / pause / volume controls
2. Tap on the icon in the bottom corner that looks like a smaller box atop a larger box with a little arrow, this is the Picture In Picture icon and it will shrink the video into PIP mode

Keep in mind if you’re playing a Picture In Picture video from Safari, you must keep that Safari window / tab open, though of course you’re free to background it or use another app.

Escaping PIP mode is the same in either case, just tap on the video in Picture In Picture mode then tap again on the little overlapping square icon on the video.

Keep in mind that some apps do not yet support being sent into Picture In Picture mode, but viewing from Safari tends to always work. If you try to use PIP and the app crashes a good bet is to update the application to the latest version. Also, Picture in Picture requires an iPad Pro, iPad Air or later, and iPad mini 2 or later.

The video below from GottaBeMole demonstrates the PIP feature in use on an iPad to watch sports while playing a video game:

This is just one of several major multitasking features that has been introduced to recent versions of iOS that are exclusive to iPad, two other prominent multitasking features for iPad include split screen mode and slide-over. Due to screen size limitations, it’s unlikely these abilities will come to the iPhone or iPod touch anytime soon, even with the large display Plus iPhone.

The Picture in Picture video mode on iPad is one of the better multitasking features of the device, but some users can find it to be distracting, and some may find themselves entering into the Picture in Picture (PIP) mode accidentally as well. While it’s easy to close a PiP window to make the video go away, if you don’t use the feature, you can easily disable the persistent video overlay (Picture in Picture) ability in iOS, which will prevent inadvertently accessing it.

How to Disable Persistent Picture in Picture Video Overlay on iPad

From the iPad in question, you simply need to do the following:

1. Open the “Settings” app and go to “General”
2. Choose “Multitasking”
3. Flip the switch next to “Persistent Video Overlay” to the OFF (or ON) position

With Persistent Video Overlay disabled, you will no longer have a Picture in Picture overlay pop-up when you press the Home button while viewing a video on iPad. In other words, with PiP disabled, hitting the Home button from a video playing works just like it did in prior versions of iOS, where it would close and stop the video playing, rather than sending it into a video overlay mode.

Of course you can easily reverse this as well, and if you discover that Picture in Picture mode is not working or not available on iPad, it’s probably because the Persistent Video Overlay feature has been disabled. Simply retracing the steps above and toggling the switch ON will reverse course and allow PiP to be used again.

Here’s how to continue watching Netflix, YouTube, or other videos in a small thumbnail window on your Apple device while you take care of other tasks.

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:

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.

(Apple TV+ PiP on iPhone)

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.

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A feature long missed from iOS is finally coming to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14: Picture in Picture mode.

While Android users have long enjoyed this feature, Apple has just brought this PIP – Picture In Picture on iOS 14. Well, for me personally it’s better to be late rather than never!

For other iOS 14 news, tips & tricks and tweaks, do check them here: iOS 14 on Jilaxzone.

What is this PIP – Picture In Picture?

One picture said to worth thousand words, so one video should worth even more. Let me demonstrate you what is PIP, how to use it on your iOS device and how to troubleshoot if PIP isn’t working on your iPhone or iPad. Have a look at the short video below.

Historically speaking, the PIP term was coined initially for TV where TV with this feature can show 2 channels within 1 screen. The same concept is used here in iOS 14. With Picture In Picture, you can see either a photo or video in a smaller screen while the rest screen showing something else.

Why you want to use PIP – Picture In Picture on your iPhone or iPad?

Multitasking! Now you can video calling, FaceTime-ing, watching videos or movies or seeing photos while doing something else. Good example is like when you watch YouTube video but you need to reply the messages you just received – you can send the reply while the video is still up and running.

How to use PIP – Picture In Picture on your iPhone or iPad?

If you prefer the explanation on video, do check on the YouTube video above. But if you prefer text, go on, continue reading.

Pre-requisite: To use PIP, ensure you are using iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 or after, because this feature is available starting from iOS 14 and iPadOS 14.

Once upgraded to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, the Picture In Picture feature is already turned on by default, but just in case yours is not working, head to the section below for detail on how to fix it.

The steps written below is using YouTube as the sample, however the PIP – Picture In Picture feature, is not only compatible with YouTube but other video / movie apps too.

To use PIP – Picture In Picture:

1) Open web page or compatible apps. E.g: Using Safari browser, then click on the video available on the web page.

2) Minimize the browser or compatible app, the video will start showing on PIP mode.

3) In case, the video isn’t shown on PIP mode, go back to the video then tap on the PIP icon (icon with 2 boxes) to detach the video from the page/app.

Your video/photo is now shown in PIP mode.

To disable PIP – Picture in Picture:

1) While showing video or photo on PIP mode, tap on the PIP icon (located on top right of the screen) to return the video/photo back to the original page/app.

Fix PIP – Picture In Picture not working on your iPhone or iPad

In case PIP – Picture In Picture is not working on your iPhone or iPad, here’s the fixes:

1) Ensure you are on iOS 14 or up. Go to Settings > General > Software Update, see if you are on iOS 14 or up already. If not, then update to iOS 14 or anything after.

2) Check if “Start PIP Automatically” turned on under Settings > General > Picture In Picture. If it’s not, turn it on.

Bring it all together

While Apple is late to the PIP party (anyway Apple is famous for being super late to any party), but finally we have it now on iOS 14.

In case you encounter any difficulties on running PIP mode, let me know on the comment section down below. I’ll be glad to help.

How to install iOS 14 today.

Depends on when you read this, but by the time this article is written, iOS 14 is not publicly released yet to the masses – iOS 14 is still in public beta, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting it installed.

Apple iOS 14

To install iOS 14 Public Beta today, do check the detailed steps by step here to install it. The steps are legal and official steps from Apple.

In case you read this after iOS 14 has been publicly released, all you need to do is to go to Settings > General > Software Update.

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Level up those multitasking skills.

By David Nield | Published Feb 14, 2021 2:19 PM

Picture-in-picture (PiP) lets you keep an eye on videos while you’re doing something else in another app—and it’s available on more devices than you might think. From smartphones to laptops, you can carry on watching in one app while you load up a different one.

It’s a neat trick to have at your disposal, even if it risks fragmenting your attention. You may find it useful for keeping an eye on a sports report or a news program while you’re busy with something else, or running a video call alongside another app.

Using PiP on Android, iOS, and iPadOS

Android, iOS, and iPadOS support picture-in-picture, but not every app does. For the feature to work, you need to be running a video app that offers built-in PiP capabilities. Most video apps do, including Disney Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV. The YouTube app for these smartphone operating systems also supports PiP, but only for YouTube Premium subscribers.

Using PiP on Android, iOS, or iPadOS is as simple as starting to watch something, then switching back to the home screen with a swipe up from the bottom of the screen. On Apple’s platforms, there’s an alternative: Tap the picture-in-picture button, which looks like two squares with an arrow inside one of them. When you leave the app, playback will continue in a small window on screen, though the behavior differs slightly depending on the phone you’re using.

On Android devices, for example, tap on the video window to expand or shrink it, and tap and hold to reposition it on screen. Tapping on the window will also bring up the maximize and close buttons if you want to exit PiP mode (and go back to the app or leave it, respectively). Pause and playback controls will also show briefly when you tap on a video.

To control which apps make use of PiP, open Settings and pick Apps and notifications, Advanced, Special app access, and Picture-in-picture. The next screen will show you all the apps that support PiP mode and let you disable it on an app-by-app basis if you don’t want to use it.

Picture-in-picture is similar on iOS and iPadOS, but you can pinch and drag with two fingers to change the size of the PiP video thumbnail. Tap, hold, and drag on the video window to move it to a new position on screen, and tap briefly on the window to bring up the play and pause controls. When you tap on the PiP overlay, you’ll also see buttons for quitting the app completely (top left) or going back to the video app (top right).

Should you want to turn this picture-in-picture behavior off on an iPhone or iPad, you can do so from Settings: Tap General, then Picture in Picture, and turn the toggle switch off. When the switch is off, leaving an app where something is playing will simply stop playback and quit the app.

Using PiP on Windows and macOS

Both Windows and macOS are windowed operating systems, so they’re meant to keep multiple applications on screen at the same time—and that includes video playback apps. Click and drag the edges of windows to resize them, and click and drag the top of a window to move it around on screen.

To make it a little easier to keep videos in view, many media applications let you pin them to the top of the stack of windows you’ve got on screen, so other programs are always behind what you’re trying to watch. If this option is available in the apps you’re using, it should be displayed fairly prominently somewhere in the interface.

If you’re using the QuickTime Player or the Apple TV app on macOS for example, click the little PiP button (two rectangles and an arrow, bottom right) on the playback window to pin it on top of other programs. You can click and drag the edges of the window to resize it, and click and drag on the main part of the video overlay to move it to a different corner of the screen.

Over on Windows, applications take a more ad hoc approach to picture-in-picture. The default Films & TV player, for instance, has what it calls a “mini view” which is essentially PiP: You’ll find the mini view button down in the lower right corner underneath the progress bar while a video is playing. With the popular VLC Player, meanwhile, you can choose View, then Always on top to keep the video on top of other windows.

You’ll no doubt be playing a lot of media through your browser, and the main browsers offer their own PiP modes too. If you’re watching something on YouTube, for example, right-click on the video to bring up the YouTube menu, then right-click again in a different spot to find the browser menu and the Picture in picture (or similar) option, which pops out a separate window that stays on top of other programs.

It’s a handy feature to have, and it works in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple’s Safari—though YouTube is the only video site we’ve come across that supports PiP. Once the pop-out window appears, you can drag it around and resize it as you would any other window, and playback will continue until you close the browser tab you launched it from.

Using PiP on other devices

There aren’t many media streaming devices that support picture-in-picture natively, but the Apple TV is one of them. If you tap the touch area on the Siri remote to bring up the playback controls while watching something, you’ll see the same PiP button you’d see on any PiP-supporting app across all of Apple’s operating systems. Select the option and the playback window will shrink to a corner of the screen. You can then tap the home button on the remote (the TV icon) to move or close the PiP window.

Anything you beam to your Apple TV via AirPlay can be played in a smaller PiP window too. Once you’ve started streaming your video from a connected iPhone, iPad, or macOS computer, just go to the same on-screen menus to find and enable the picture-in-picture option.

If you’re not using an Apple TV, you might be able to find some PiP options on your actual TV set, though these options aren’t widespread and might be called something else (like split screen). Dig into the instructions that came with your set or look them up online to see if this is an option on the model you have.

David Nieldis a tech journalist from the UK who has been writing about gadgets and apps since way before the iPhone and Twitter were invented. When he’s not busy doing that, he usually takes breaks from all things tech with long walks in the countryside.

By Charlie Sorrel • 1:00 pm, January 15, 2019

• How-To
• Top stories

The iPad’s picture-in-picture video can be a real productivity ‘booster.’
Photo: Cult of Mac

Did you know that you can watch any video in a floating window on your iPad? Of course you did. But did you also know that you can change the size of the window, and even dock it to the side of your screen? Maybe not! Today we’re going to check out how to use picture-in-picture on the iPad.

Enable picture-in-picture

The iPad’s picture-in-picture mode is one of its several multitasking features. These include split-view, slide-over, and all the neat multitasking gestures that let you quickly switch between apps. You can find the setting for all of them in the Settings app, under General > Multitasking & Dock. Make sure PiP is switched on in the Settings app.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Note: You’ll need a powerful enough iPad to do this. That includes the iPad Air, and anything more recent, and the iPad Mini 2.

How to start picture-in-picture

Once a movie is playing, you can easily send to it to picture-in-picture. There are a few methods, all of which should be triggered while the video is playing:

• Tap the picture-in-picture icon in the video player.
• Press the home button while a movie is playing.
• Use the iOS 12 swipe-up gesture to leave the video app.
• Press Command-H (Hide) to return to the home screen.
• Use any multitasking gesture to switch to another app.

In all of these cases, the playing movie will switch to a picture-in-picture (PiP) window, and float over the whatever else you’re doing on the iPad. It even floats over the top of split-view and slide-over windows.

PiP and YouTube

YouTube videos behave slightly differently. If you’re watching the video on the YouTube site, and it’s in the usual small window surrounded by suggestions, comments, links, etc., then the above-mentioned PiP triggers won’t work. The video stops playing as soon as you close Safari.

However, if you view the video in YouTube’s own full-screen viewer, or you use our clever bookmarklets to force YouTube to play in the native iOS full-screen video player, then it will behave like a normal video player.

Resize and dock the floating video window

Once your video is playing in a floating window, you can move it around just by swiping with a finger. To resize the window, pinch to zoom. And if you want to dock the window, swipe it over to either side of the screen, and it will turn into a docked tab, like this: The video is that tab over on the right.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Audio will keep playing, but the video is stowed out of the way until you swipe it back into existence.

And that’s it for PiP on the iPad I like it quite a lot. It’s especially good on the big 13-inch iPad Pro, where the PiP panel is actually big enough to watch. I use it when viewing YouTube tutorials, or when I’m watching a product video and writing an article about it. It’s totally worth checking out.

If you are fond of the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature of iPad and feel annoyed when it is not supported by a site you visit, the PiPifier app, which is basically a Safari extension can help. With PiPifier you can bring the Picture-in-Picture mode to websites that don’t support it. What’s even better is this app is available separately for both iOS and macOS platforms, in their respective App Stores. So with this app you can add PiP to unsupported websites on both mobile and desktop Safari.

The PiPifier is an action extension for Safari browser using which you can view any HTML5 video in Picture-in-Picture mode, even though the website does not support the feature. Since this is an action extension, you can access it through iOS’s Share Menu. When a video is playing in Safari from a website that does not offer PiP support, simply hit the Share Menu button and choose more. Then tap on ‘Run PiPifier’ option to enable it. Finally select the ‘Run PiPifier’ option on the website that has the video. Download the free PiPifier app for iPad here.

The PiPifier app is available separately on the Mac App Store. On the Mac load any HTML5 video and click on the PiPifier icon in the Safari toolbar in order to start Picture-In-Picture for a video. Before you do so, make sure you have clicked on the video player once in order for this to work.

After downloading the free PiPifier app from the Mac App Store make sure you launch it, then open Safari > Preferences > Extensions. From there enable PiPifier, then choose Video > Customize Toolbar and drag the PiPifier icon to the toolbar, where you can access it conveniently whenever you want to use it. Download he free PiPifier for Mac here.