YouTube users on iPhone and Android are reporting a problem where Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode fails to activate when closing the app. Instead of a floating player to continue watching, the screen shows nothing and audio continues in the background. Google has acknowledged the issue and is actively working on a fix, but as of now no progress has been announced.
The PiP glitch on iOS and Android
The majority of reports come from iOS devices, but some Android users have also experienced the problem. Version 21.28 of the YouTube app on iPhone clearly exhibits the bug, while on Pixel the PiP feature works correctly. Google identified the error on Friday morning PT and stated that teams are actively investigating. However, as of Saturday afternoon, no fix has been deployed.
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Temporary workarounds
While waiting for an official patch, some users suggest restarting the app or device, or toggling the PiP setting off and on in YouTube preferences. These workarounds are not guaranteed to work consistently. Google recommends following the official YouTube Help thread for updates. In the meantime, users can rely on background audio playback without the floating video window.
Why PiP matters for YouTube users
Picture-in-Picture mode was rolled out to all users, including free tiers, earlier this year. It allows watching videos in a small overlay while using other apps, ideal for multitasking. The current outage frustrates many, especially those using YouTube for tutorials or music. Google has not provided a timeline for the fix. For more context, check out the article on Google Photos introducing a floating bottom bar and the news about Google's 3D emoji redesign. For official updates, visit the YouTube Help page.
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Source: https://9to5google.com/2026/07/18/youtube-pip-broken
