YouTube's Picture-in-Picture Mode Could Be Available for Non-Premium Users Outside the US Soon

Google states that PiP outside the US will require a YouTube Premium subscription.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by Manas Mitul | Updated: 29 February 2024 19:05 IST

YouTube's Picture-in-Picture Mode Could Be Available for Non-Premium Users Outside the US Soon

Photo Credit: Google

YouTube's PiP allows users to watch YouTube videos in a mini-player while using other apps

Highlights

PiP mode lets users watch videos while accessing other apps
YouTube yet to reveal plans to expand PiP to non-subscribers outside US
YouTube Premium in India costs Rs. 129 per month

YouTube started rolling out its PiP (Picture-in-Picture) feature for a wider audience back in 2021. This popular feature of the video streaming app allows users to watch videos while accessing other apps on their device. YouTube users in markets outside the US require a Premium subscription to access the PiP functionality. But this could change in the future as multiple posts on social media platforms indicate that non-premium users in Europe are currently getting access to YouTube's PiP functionality.

Multiple threads on Reddit suggest that YouTube is rolling out PiP mode for non-subscribers outside the US. The posts include videos of the feature to add credibility to the claims, showing a mini-player in a floating window for music videos while using other apps on their devices. Users largely from the Europe region seem to have spotted the PiP feature on their devices.

YouTube is yet to reveal plans to expand PiP to non-subscribers outside the US. So, this information should be considered with a pinch of salt. Google is speculated to be testing PiP with a select group of non-Premium European users. The accidental rollout could be attributed to unknown bugs as well.

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However, a recent comment from YouTube's X account contradicts this claim. It states that PiP outside the US is currently limited to Premium subscriptions. As per YouTube's support page for PiP, users outside the US will have to subscribe to Premium to access it.

Google announced Picture-in-Picture support for all YouTube Premium subscribers on iOS worldwide including India back in 2021. On Android, the multitasking feature was available for quite some time.

YouTube Premium in India costs Rs. 129 per month. Google is offering a one-month free membership plan for new users and a Rs. 79 monthly plan for students. The family plan that allows addition of up to five members in the household costs Rs. 189. Google is charging Rs. 1,290 for a yearly plan, while a three-month plan comes for Rs. 399. Besides PiP, YouTube Premium offer benefits like ad-free content, offline watching, downloads, and access to YouTube Music Premium.

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Further reading: YouTube, YouTube Picture in Picture, Picture in Picture, YouTube Premium, YouTube Features

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More