Youtube is one of the most popular video streaming platforms out there at the moment. However, just like everything else tech, it also suffers from bugs and glitches from time to time.
In this article, we’re talking about YouTube’s picture-in-picture mode not working properly on smartphones.
Also read: YouTube something went wrong error: 9 Fixes
Why is Picture-in-Picture not working?
There can be several reasons why picture-in-picture might now work for you. Here are some of the most common ones:
- Permission issues: The Youtube app isn’t allowed to display an overlay on other apps, hence causing this issue.
- Misconfigured settings: Sometimes the setting might just be disabled in the Youtube app.
- Picture-in-Picture mode isn’t supported in your region: As unfortunate as it is, the Picture-in-Picture mode isn’t supported globally just yet. So if you’re in a region where Youtube doesn’t support the feature, you’re pretty much out of luck.
How to fix this?
Here are a few solutions that can help get rid of the error.
Restart your phone
Restarting your device should be the first troubleshooting step you take. It can fix a bunch of problems in under a minute. So if the Youtube app isn’t behaving as it should, try restarting your phone to see if that fixes the problem.
Revert to the default launcher
At times, using a third-party launcher can cause problems with Youtube’s Picture-in-Picture functionality. Try reverting to your stock launcher to see if that solves the problem.
Enable the feature in the YouTube app
Checking if the feature is enabled in the Youtube app isn’t a bad idea either. Here’s how.
- Open the Youtube app and tap on your profile picture in the top right.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Make sure that the Picture-in-Picture setting is enabled. If its not, enable the feature and give Youtube the required permissions.
Check Youtube’s permissions
Check if the app has the required permissions to show an overlay over other apps.
- Open settings and tap on Apps.
- Tap See All Apps.
- Find Youtube in the list and tap it to proceed.
- Scroll down and make sure Display over other apps and Picture-in-Picture is allowed.
Now restart the app and try again. The Youtube picture in picture not working issue should be fixed.
Also read: How to watch deleted YouTube videos?
Change Youtube’s location
Since Picture-in-Picture is a premium feature only available in certain regions, changing your country can be helpful. Here’s how.
- Open the Youtube app and tap on your profile picture in the top right.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Under Location, change the location to someplace where Picture-in-Picture is supported by Youtube.
Now restart the app and try again. Alternatively, you can also try using a VPN. This should fix the Youtube picture in picture not working issue.
Disable gesture navigation
Using gesture navigation instead of the standard three-button navigation can also cause this error. Here’s how you can revert this.
- Open your phone’s settings and scroll down to System.
- Tap Gestures.
- Tap System navigation.
- Select 3-button navigation.
Now restart the Youtube app and try again.
Clear the Youtube cache
On Android
If you’re on Android, it’s a good idea to clear out the YouTube app’s data and check if that works. Here’s how.
- Tap and hold on the app icon and press the i button.
- Tap on Storage & Cache.
- Tap both the Clear data and Clear cache buttons.
On iOS
iOS doesn’t allow you to clear out an app’s data manually, but you can give reinstalling the YouTube app a shot.
Update the Youtube app
While it’s almost certain that your app will already be updated, it doesn’t hurt to check. Head over to the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store and ensure you got the latest update.Â
Clear the cache partition
Apart from simply clearing an app or service’s storage cache, you can also clear out Android’s entire cache partition. This can resolve a bunch of issues with your phone, including high power consumption.
All you need to do is turn your phone off and press the power button along with the volume up key until you see a few options on your screen. Use the power keys to scroll and select Wipe cache partition from the list.
Note that the option might be called something different as phone manufacturers often have other names for different settings.Â
Also read: What is a highlighted comment on YouTube?
