How to Use Picture in Picture on iPhone

To turn on automatic Picture in Picture on your iPhone, open Settings > General > Picture in Picture and turn on Start PiP Automatically. Then play a video in a supported app and go to the Home Screen. The video shrinks into a small floating player that stays on screen while you use other apps. You can also start it yourself with the player’s Picture in Picture button.

Picture in Picture, often shortened to PiP, works on iPhone with iOS 14 or later. These steps were checked against iOS 27, the current version, which still runs on the iPhone 11, and the same path applies to iOS 14 through iOS 26. The app and the video also have to support it, and some streaming services add their own plan or version requirements.

Check these requirements first

• An appropriate iOS version: iPhone PiP began with iOS 14. YouTube’s current iPhone instructions require iOS 15 or later.
• A supported app and video: look for the player’s PiP or Minimize Video control, or check the service’s current help page.
• Any app-specific permission or setting: YouTube has its own Picture-in-Picture toggle in addition to the iPhone setting.
• Any applicable plan requirement: Netflix currently excludes PiP from its ad-supported experience on iPhone and iPad. YouTube reserves PiP for music content for Premium members.

Turn on automatic Picture in Picture

This controls whether a supported player can start PiP automatically when you leave it.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General, then Picture in Picture.
3. Turn on Start PiP Automatically.
4. Open a video app and play a video.
5. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go to the Home Screen. On an iPhone with a Home button, press the Home button.
6. The video keeps playing in a small window. Open another app and it stays on top.

Start PiP manually from a video

You can also start Picture in Picture yourself from the video player.

1. Play the video.
2. Tap the video to show the playback controls.
3. Tap the Picture in Picture button (Minimize Video in some players).
4. The video shrinks into a small window. Open another app and it stays on screen.

If you don’t see the button, that app or video doesn’t support Picture in Picture. Apple’s Picture in Picture guide has more details.

Move, resize, hide, or close the window

Tap the floating player to reveal its controls. You can drag it to another corner and pinch outward or inward to change its size. Move it when it covers an address field, navigation button, or the paragraph you are reading.

Drag the window beyond the left or right edge to hide it temporarily. A small edge tab lets you bring it back. Hiding the video is different from stopping playback; supported playback can continue with audio while the picture is tucked away.

The controls that appear depend on the app. Most video players show play and pause, and many also show skip back and skip forward buttons, so you can control the video without reopening the app. Netflix, for example, lets you pause, fast-forward, and rewind from the small window.

Tap X to close the player, or tap the full-screen button to go back to the app. The video picks up where it was, now at full size.

Use Picture in Picture with FaceTime

During a FaceTime video call, swipe up to go to the Home Screen and open another app. The call keeps going in a small Picture in Picture window.

When you want the full call interface again, use the floating window’s return control, or tap the green bar or FaceTime indicator at the top of the screen. Apple’s guide to using other apps during FaceTime describes returning through that indicator.

Leaving the call screen doesn’t end the call. Tap the end-call button in FaceTime when you’re finished.

For help starting a call, read about using FaceTime on your iPhone.

Use Picture in Picture in YouTube

YouTube has both an iPhone preference and an app preference. Its current official instructions put the app’s setting under Playback.

1. On the iPhone, open Settings > General > Picture in Picture and turn Start PiP Automatically on.
2. Open the YouTube app’s settings, select Playback, and turn Picture-in-Picture on.
3. Play an eligible video, then leave YouTube for the Home Screen or another app. The video should move into the small player.

YouTube’s current PiP help requires iOS 15 or later. It says non-music content supports PiP, while music content requires YouTube Premium. That category includes official music videos, Art Tracks, children’s songs, and user-generated song covers.

YouTube also notes that PiP is on by default on supported iOS versions when background play has not been turned off in the app. Check those switches if yours doesn’t start.

To close the YouTube window, tap it and select X. To disable YouTube PiP, turn its Playback > Picture-in-Picture switch off. Pausing or stopping the video before leaving YouTube prevents that playing video from automatically entering PiP.

Use Picture in Picture in Netflix

Netflix’s current PiP requirements list iOS 14 or later and the latest Netflix app for supported iPhones. PiP is unavailable on an ad-supported Netflix experience on iPhone or iPad, so check the plan restriction before repeatedly changing the phone’s settings.

For an eligible setup, enable Start PiP Automatically in the iPhone’s General settings, play the Netflix title, and return to the Home Screen or switch apps. Netflix describes that action as starting its floating player. Use the player’s return button for the full view or X to close it.

If this is your first time using the app, setting up Netflix on your iPhone covers getting signed in. Planning to watch somewhere without a connection? You can download Netflix episodes on iPhone first.

Use Picture in Picture with videos in Safari

Many videos on websites can also float. The website’s player has to allow it, so this varies from site to site.

1. Open the page in Safari and start the video.
2. Tap the full-screen button in the player. The video fills the screen and shows its playback controls.
3. Tap the Picture in Picture button, or go to the Home Screen while the video is playing.
4. The video moves into the floating window and keeps playing while you use other apps.

If you don’t see a Picture in Picture button in full-screen view, that site’s player doesn’t offer it. Use the service’s own app instead when it has one, such as YouTube or Netflix.

If Picture in Picture is not working

The video stops when you leave the app

Make sure the video was playing, then check the iPhone automatic-start switch. Look for a manual PiP control in that player as well. If another supported video works, the problem is likely with the original app, title, or account rather than the phone setting.

The switch is on, but YouTube or Netflix still fails

For YouTube, check Playback > Picture-in-Picture, the iOS 15 requirement, and whether the selected content is music. For Netflix, check the ad-supported restriction and app version. A system toggle cannot remove a service’s account or content limit.

A website’s player has no PiP button

The website or video may not support it. Enter the player’s full-screen view and check its controls, as described in the Safari section above. Not every video embedded in Safari or Chrome can play in a floating window.

Netflix still won’t float

For Netflix, check in this order: confirm you aren’t on an ad-supported plan, confirm the iPhone runs iOS 14 or later, check Start PiP Automatically, update the Netflix app, and then turn the phone fully off and back on.

The floating player disappeared

Look along the left and right edges for the hidden player’s tab. If you dragged the video off-screen, bring that tab back onto the display. If you closed the window instead, return to the original app and start supported playback again.

A supported setup still behaves incorrectly

Update the video app through the App Store and check the iPhone’s available software update. Restart the phone if the documented settings and requirements are satisfied but the problem continues. Save unfinished work before restarting.

Turn off automatic Picture in Picture

Return to Settings > General > Picture in Picture and turn Start PiP Automatically off. This changes automatic starting; a supported player’s manual PiP button can still be available.

If only YouTube’s floating videos bother you, use its app-specific switch instead of changing your preference for every supported app. To undo either choice later, return to the same switch and enable it again.

Frequently asked questions