YouTube working to fix picture-in-picture issue on Android and iPhone

YouTube has acknowledged a bug disrupting Picture-in-Picture mode on select Android and iPhone devices, with its engineering team developing a fix as affected users lose floating video playback while multitasking across mobile applications.

Google-owned YouTube has confirmed that it is working on a fix for a bug affecting its Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature on Android and iPhone devices. The issue prevents some users from viewing videos in a floating mini-player after leaving the YouTube app, impacting one of the platform's most widely used multitasking capabilities.

The company acknowledged the problem through its official YouTube Help forum, stating that its engineering team is actively investigating the issue and developing a solution. Although reports have emerged from users on both Android and iOS, YouTube noted that most complaints have come from iPhone users.

The bug causes the PiP window to disappear when users switch to another application. While video playback is no longer visible, the audio continues to play in the background, leaving users without access to the floating player or its on-screen controls.

Rollout of fix awaited as users monitor updates

According to user reports, the issue appears to affect some devices running YouTube app version 21.28, although it is not impacting all smartphones. Reports indicate that the malfunction varies depending on device models and software configurations, with some iPhone models experiencing the problem while several Android devices, including Google's Pixel smartphones, appear to function normally.

Picture-in-Picture has become an important feature for YouTube users, allowing videos to continue playing in a small floating window while they browse the web, reply to messages or use other mobile applications. The feature has gained wider adoption after YouTube expanded PiP support to more users globally, including non-Premium subscribers in several markets.

Google has not announced when a software update will be released to resolve the issue. Until then, users affected by the bug may have to rely on background audio playback, as the floating video window remains unavailable.

The company has advised users to keep an eye on updates posted through the official YouTube Help forum, where further information about the fix is expected to be shared. The incident underscores the growing importance of Picture-in-Picture functionality as mobile users increasingly depend on seamless multitasking while consuming video content.