YouTube Expands Picture-in-Picture Mode Accessibility Beyond US, Potentially for Non-Premium Users
Google Indicates YouTube Premium Subscription Necessary for PiP Outside US
YouTube’s Picture-in-Picture (PiP) feature, introduced to a broader audience in 2021, has garnered widespread acclaim for its convenience, allowing users to seamlessly multitask while watching videos on the platform.
Initially, access to PiP functionality outside the US was limited to YouTube Premium subscribers. However, recent reports circulating on social media platforms suggest a potential shift in this paradigm, with non-premium users in Europe reportedly gaining access to YouTube’s PiP feature. Several Reddit threads have emerged, accompanied by videos showcasing the PiP mode in action, further fueling speculation about the feature’s expansion to non-subscribers in select regions.
The emergence of these reports signals a potential paradigm shift in YouTube’s accessibility policies, particularly concerning its PiP feature. While YouTube has yet to make an official announcement regarding plans to extend PiP functionality to non-subscribers outside the US, the growing number of user testimonials and video evidence lend credence to the speculation.
It’s plausible that Google, YouTube’s parent company, is conducting limited testing with a subset of European users to gauge the feasibility and impact of expanding PiP access beyond premium subscribers. However, the accidental rollout could also be attributed to technical glitches or experimental features inadvertently reaching unintended audiences.
As discussions surrounding YouTube’s PiP feature continue to gain traction, users eagerly await official confirmation from YouTube regarding the availability of PiP for non-premium subscribers outside the US. Whether this development represents a strategic shift in YouTube’s approach to accessibility or merely a temporary glitch remains to be seen. In the interim, users remain hopeful that the PiP functionality will soon become more widely accessible, enhancing the overall user experience and further cementing YouTube’s position as a leading video streaming platform.
However, a recent comment from YouTube’s X account contradicts this claim. It states that PiP outside the US is currently limited to Premium subscriptions. As per YouTube’s support page for PiP, users outside the US will have to subscribe to Premium to access it.Google announced Picture-in-Picture support for all YouTube Premium subscribers on iOS worldwide including India back in 2021. On Android, the multitasking feature was available for quite some time.
YouTube Premium in India costs Rs. 129 per month. Google is offering a one-month free membership plan for new users and a Rs. 79 monthly plan for students. The family plan that allows addition of up to five members in the household costs Rs. 189. Google is charging Rs. 1,290 for a yearly plan, while a three-month plan comes for Rs. 399. Besides PiP, YouTube Premium offer benefits like ad-free content, offline watching, downloads, and access to YouTube Music Premium.
