Alex Ruben
How To Watch YouTube and Use Other Apps Simultaneously on Your Android Phone
This guide is kinda handy for anyone who’s tired of completely pausing their multitasking game just to peek at a YouTube vid. Sometimes, enabling Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode or using split-screen can make your life so much easier—especially if you’re trying to listen to music or watch videos while scrolling through messages or browsing the web. It’s not always straightforward, especially with different Android versions and app updates, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you ever survived without these tricks.
How to Fix YouTube PiP and Split-Screen on Android Phones
Using Picture-in-Picture Mode: The Basics and Troubleshooting
This is usually what people want, and it’s super useful—to keep a small YouTube window floating around while doing other stuff. The problem is, sometimes PiP just won’t turn on, especially if the settings are hidden or disabled in the app or system. On some phones, they default disabled or require you to manually toggle the setting. It’s worth double-checking you’re on a compatible Android version (Android 8.0+ is usually needed), and that YouTube itself is updated in the Google Play Store.
- Open Settings then scroll to Apps & Notifications (it might just be Apps or something similar)
- Go into Special app access (usually at bottom or under advanced options)
- Tap on Picture-in-Picture
- Find YouTube in the list and make sure the toggle is turned on
Why does this help? Because Android needs to allow PiP on an app-by-app basis, and many default settings turn it off to save resources or because of app policies. If this setting isn’t enabled, even if you turn it on in YouTube, it won’t work. Also, note that YouTube Premium may have restrictions, so if you’re using a free account, PiP might be limited.
Enabling PiP Inside the YouTube App
Once system permissions are sorted, it’s worth opening YouTube, heading to your profile, then into Settings. Check in General for an option called Picture-in-Picture or similar. It should be toggled on—because sometimes, even if system details say “allowed,” the feature is disabled in the app itself.
Note: On some phones, it’s a bit fuzzy where to find this in YouTube because the menu layout varies. If you can’t find it, usually updating the app fixes the problem, or restarting your phone after changing permissions sometimes helps.
How to Launch Videos in PiP
Pick any video then start playing. When ready to switch to other tasks, press the Home button or swipe up (depending on your gesture navigation). If PiP is working, the video shrinks into a tiny window that can be dragged around. Sometimes, on certain devices, it feels like a hit or miss on the first try. If it doesn’t pop up, double-check permissions, restart the app, or reboot the phone. It’s kinda weird, but that usually fixes it.
Extra tip: pinch the PiP window or drag its edges to resize—this is super helpful when you just want a sliver of video while multitasking.
Split-Screen Mode: Doing Two Things at Once
If PiP isn’t enough and you want, say, a chat window open with your YouTube playing in one half of the screen, that’s where split-screen comes into play. Open your recent apps (tap the square button or swipe up and hold, depending on your setup), then tap on the YouTube app icon and choose Split screen. Then select another app—browser, messaging, anything really—to fill the other half. Not all apps support split-screen, but most newer ones do.
Heads up: on some setups, this can be finicky or unpredictable. Sometimes, YouTube gets weird about it, especially if you haven’t enabled certain permissions. If split-screen isn’t sticking, make sure your Android version isn’t too old and that screen pinning isn’t blocking the process.
Extra Tips & Common Issues to Check
Sometimes, PiP just refuses to work. Happens all the time on older Androids or if the app hasn’t been updated in a while. If that’s the case, try these:
- Update your Google Play Store and YouTube
- Ensure your device runs on Android 8.0 (Oreo) or higher; lower versions may lack full PiP support
- Clear app cache or data if the app starts misbehaving (inside Settings > Apps)
- Try turning PiP off and on again—sometimes the toggle just gets stuck
Because of course, Android has to make it harder than necessary sometimes. On one setup it worked right away, on another, it took a reboot or two. Weird, but that’s the nature of Android fragmentation.
Wrap-up
Getting PiP and split-screen to work with YouTube isn’t always smooth sailing, but once it does, the multitasking freedom is sweet. Just make sure permissions are sorted, apps are updated, and don’t be afraid to reboot if something’s acting funky. A little patience goes a long way.
Summary
- Check permissions in Settings > Apps & Notifications > Special app access > Picture-in-Picture
- Update YouTube and your device’s OS
- Enable PiP inside the YouTube app, if available
- Use the recent apps menu for split-screen mode
- Reboot if things aren’t working after permissions or updates