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YouTube Opens Picture‑in‑Picture to Most Free Users Outside the U.S.

The change opens Picture‑in‑Picture to free users without giving away Premium’s core perks.

Overview

  • YouTube, which announced the change Thursday, is rolling out Picture‑in‑Picture to non‑Premium accounts outside the United States on Android and iOS.
  • Free users can keep most videos playing in a small floating window, but music videos are excluded to protect paid listening features.
  • Premium subscribers still get Picture‑in‑Picture for all content, including music videos.
  • In the United States, Picture‑in‑Picture remains behind a paywall that requires a paid tier such as Premium or Premium Lite.
  • The mini‑player starts when you leave the app during playback, can be moved or pinched to resize, includes pause and skip controls, and can be turned off in YouTube settings.