Alex Ruben
How To Activate Picture-in-Picture Mode on Your iPhone: Complete Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re like most people, multitasking on iPhone can be kinda frustrating sometimes—especially when you’re trying to watch a video and do other stuff at the same time. That’s where Picture in Picture (PiP) comes in. It lets you keep a small video window floating over your home screen or other apps, so you don’t have to keep bouncing back and forth. Pretty handy, but turns out, enabling it isn’t always obvious and sometimes the feature just doesn’t work despite being turned on. This guide is here to help clear that up, walking through the most common settings and little tricks to get PiP running smoothly on your iPhone.
How to Fix Picture in Picture Not Working on iPhone
Make Sure It’s Enabled in Settings
First off, it’s worth double-checking that the feature is actually turned on in the Settings. Go to Settings, scroll down to General, and tap on it—because of course, Apple makes you dive into multiple menus. In General, find and select Picture in Picture. A toggle switch there should be turned on (green). If it’s off, turn it on. Sometimes the toggle is weird or doesn’t switch right away, so toggling it off and on again might help. This applies to iOS 14 and newer, and on some setups, it doesn’t turn on by itself. On my experience, on some machines this fails the first time, then works after a reboot.
Check App-Specific Settings
Next, make sure the app you want to use PiP with supports it. For example, in YouTube or Safari, PiP is straightforward, but in some other apps, it might be disabled or hidden. For YouTube, especially, check inside the app if it has its own settings—some require a paid Premium account for PiP, or might disable it in settings. Same with other streaming apps. To be safe, try opening Settings > General > Picture in Picture (again), and see if there’s an option in specific app settings to enable PiP. Sometimes, the feature is enabled system-wide but turned off for individual apps—so best to check both places.
Test with Compatible Apps
After confirming the toggle is on, open apps like Safari or the Apple TV app—these usually support PiP natively. Play a video, then swipe up from the bottom or press the Home button (if your iPhone has one), or swipe up on Face ID models to go to Home. If everything’s set up right, the video should go into a tiny floating window. If it doesn’t, it might be because of app limitations or a bug with your iOS version. Sometimes a quick restart after toggling the setting helps, because iOS doesn’t always refresh the settings immediately.
Other Troubleshooting Tips
Because of course, sometimes iOS just refuses to cooperate. Make sure your iPhone is running the latest iOS version—head to Settings > General > Software Update and see if there’s an update waiting. Also, some apps may support PiP but require you to enable it within their own settings or might have bugs. Big apps like YouTube often have their own toggle—check inside the app’s Settings. Oh, and keep your device rebooted at least once in a while—I’ve seen PiP magically start working after a basic restart, on some setups it’s hit or miss initially.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Another thing to keep in mind: not all apps support PiP, even if your settings are flipped right. Safari, Apple TV, and some third-party browsers do, but lots of others don’t. Also, if your iPhone is a bit older (like below iPhone 12), PiP might be limited or won’t work at all. Make sure your system is up-to-date to avoid compatibility hiccups. In some cases, just closing and reopening the app or re-enabling PiP toggle in settings would do the trick. Because Apple sometimes makes things complicated for no reason.
Wrap-up
Getting PiP to work on your iPhone can be a little fiddly, but once everything’s enabled properly, it’s a game changer for multitasking. Checking settings, app support, and doing a quick restart tend to fix most hiccups. If it still won’t cooperate, sometimes waiting for an iOS update or reinstalling the affected app is needed—but generally, these steps are enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why isn’t Picture in Picture working even after enabling it?
This could be because the app doesn’t support PiP, or it’s a bug in your system. Double-check app-specific settings and ensure your iPhone is running the latest iOS version. Rebooting sometimes helps as well.
Are all videos compatible with PiP?
Nope, not all videos will go into PiP mode. Support depends on both the app and the video source. Safari videos and Apple TV tend to work great, others vary.
Any other tricks for making PiP more reliable?
Updating your device, toggling PiP off and on again, and rebooting usually do the job. Also, closing background apps that might interfere can sometimes help. Without a doubt, the biggest fix is making sure everything is current and supported.
Summary
- Double-check PiP is enabled in Settings > General > Picture in Picture
- Verify app support and settings inside apps like YouTube or browsers
- Update to the latest iOS version
- Restart the device if something feels off
- Test with compatible apps like Safari and Apple TV
Final note
Hopefully, this saves someone from the endless frustration of trying to get PiP working without success. It’s kind of weird, but once everything lines up, the multitasking perk is totally worth the effort. Just remember, support varies and sometimes Apple’s updates are the key to unlocking this feature fully. Fingers crossed this helps.