Android gets new features with every iteration, but exploring all of these features to the miniature additions is close to impossible. Some of these features are usually big and easy to pick out, just like Picture-in-Picture (PiP) when Android Oreo arrived over two years ago.
What PiP does is, for instance, let you open a YouTube link shared with you on WhatsApp or Telegram and watch the shared video without leaving the current app. The video continues to play in a small window that you can drag around while you continue chatting with your pal.
It’s a cute little addition that is probably utilized by a few people, but the implications for the business class are there to see. For instance, it can be a handy tool for, say, doing a video call to explain a spreadsheet you shared with your boss.
Heck, you can even watch a YouTube video while checking out replies down the tweet that shared the link. With this in mind, it’s hard to justify the sudden removal of YouTube PiP on some Android apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, and probably more.
Despite being such a great feature to have on Android – Chrome OS 78 recently picked it up as well – not so many apps support PiP, which is really disappointing because by now it should really be in more apps if you ask me.
Of the affected apps, only Telegram has come out to claim that Google has intentionally removed YouTube PiP support because it wants the feature for itself and its absurd reading this tweet.
Sorry. YouTube wants that feature for themselves. You can still use PIP for Vimeo and Twitch though.
Some Redditors say YouTube PiP is also missing on WhatsApp and Discord apps, meaning they can no longer watch YouTube videos without leaving the apps. Essentially, you will have to leave the current app as the links redirect to the YouTube app.
Yup, mine opens the YouTube app instead of playing inside WhatsApp like before. Way to ruin user experience due to your stubbornness.
I also cannot see any link preview for YT links at all on WhatsApp.
Discord’s also been having trouble displaying link previews for YouTube as of late.
But others are unaffected and YouTube PiP still works like a charm via third-party YouTube clients!
Newpipe still works, thank the open source lords.
Vanced works great.
Apparently, WhatsApp Beta 2.19.328 still has the support for YouTube PiP, so you might want to check the APK Mirror for this particular version.
Whatsapp beta 2.19.328, still works for me.
For now, we wait to see what YouTube has to say about this latest development. Hopefully, the PiP feature will resume working as usual soon.
PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.
Hillary Keverenge
2109 Posts
Tech has been my playground for over a decade. While the Android journey began early, it truly took flight with the revolutionary Lollipop update. Since then, it's been a parade of Android devices (with a sprinkle of iOS), culminating in a mostly happy marriage with Google's smart home ecosystem. Expect insightful articles and explorations of the ever-evolving world of Android and Google products coupled with occasional rants on the Nest smart home ecosystem.
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