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YouTube on iPhone X (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

YouTube has returned Picture in Picture mode to iPhone.
You can now use the feature on iOS 14, but only through Safari.
The feature had previously only been available to Premium accounts.

YouTube has restored iOS 14 Picture in Picture support to its website for all users, according to new reports.

Tonight, the YouTube website has started allowing iOS 14 devices to use the built-in Picture in Picture functionality for its videos even without a Premium account.This is an apparent reversal of a change that YouTube explicitly made following the release of ‌iOS 14‌ which blocked such behavior. At that time, YouTube would only allow that capability for users with Premium accounts. Tonight's change means that any YouTube visitor can use Picture in Picture in Safari.

As the report notes, YouTube the feature previously worked with the beta release of iOS 14. In September, it emerged that YouTube seemed to have switched off the feature for most users, instead reserving it for Premium account holders.

Picture in Picture in iOS 14 stopped working on iPhone for videos on YouTube’s website. YouTube videos embedded elsewhere still work fine. pic.twitter.com/8vTFy4u3UtPicture in Picture in iOS 14 stopped working on iPhone for videos on YouTube’s website. YouTube videos embedded elsewhere still work fine. pic.twitter.com/8vTFy4u3Ut— Eric Slivka (@eslivka) September 18, 2020 September 18, 2020

Now, in another U-turn, YouTube appears to have re-enabled the feature such that all users can now access it. Unfortunately, there is still no indication that YouTube is planning to bring this feature to the YouTube app for iOS, which means viewers who want to enjoy PiP are stuck using Safari for the time being.

Picture in Picture was one of the most yearned for features on iOS, even though it has been around on the iPad for some time.

Apple announced iOS 14 back at WWDC and released it in September to the public.

Apple has recently released the second iteration of the iOS 14.2 beta to developers.

iOS

○ iOS 14 Review
○ What's new in iOS 14
○ Updating your iPhone ultimate guide
○ iOS Help Guide
○ iOS Discussion

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple.