Picture-in-picture is a trick that the majority of your gadgets are in a position to do, and it means you may carry on watching YouTube, Twitch, Netflix, FaceTime or some other video stream whilst you do one thing else. Here’s how one can set it up in your telephones, tablets, computer systems and media streaming devices.

Android and iOS

On current variations of Android, picture-in-picture works roughly routinely, so long as the video app you’re utilizing has been constructed to help it. For instance, if you happen to launch Netflix and begin watching one thing, then return to the house display screen, the video performs in a smaller window within the nook of the display screen.

If this doesn’t work for no matter apps you’re utilizing, you would possibly have to dig into the app settings or examine additional. With the YouTube app, the picture-in-picture mode is barely enabled if you happen to’re a Premium subscriber, so the mini participant received’t seem if you happen to’re not paying. In the case of movies enjoying inside Google Chrome for Android, you’ll want to swap the video to full display screen mode first after which return to the house display screen to get the smaller window to seem.

Over on iOS and iPadOS, you merely faucet the picture-in-picture button on the video playback display screen—it’s the one which’s two rectangles with an arrow indicating the video dimension goes to shrink. This takes you again to no matter app you had been in earlier than the video began, however retains the video enjoying on high.

The picture-in-picture button ought to seem in each Apple app that performs video, and each third-party app that has applied the characteristic (which is most of them); it’ll additionally present up in Safari while you begin enjoying a video within the cell browser. At the time of writing YouTube has simply begun testing picture-in-picture help for iOS and iPadOS, however just for YouTube Premium subscribers.

Windows and macOS

With Windows being based mostly round home windows (because the title suggests), getting a video enjoying up within the nook of the display screen isn’t tough, however there may be occasions while you need to pin a video on high of every thing else and dock it to 1 nook. In the built-in Movies & TV app you are able to do this by beginning playback on a video, then clicking Play in mini view (the third icon from the fitting within the decrease proper nook).

There’s a picture-in-picture mode in Microsoft Edge, too, not less than for YouTube: If you right-click twice on a video that’s enjoying, you’ll see a pop-up menu with Picture in image on it. This docks the video within the nook, and retains it on high of different home windows. In VLC Media Player, in the meantime, you may select View and Always on high to maintain a video above every thing else, then View and Minimal interface to cover the playback controls—then simply transfer the window to the place you want it.

It’s the same story on macOS: You can transfer any video manually to the nook of the display screen, however there are methods of doing picture-in-picture correctly. In the primary TV app, click on the picture-in-picture icon (it’s the one within the backside right-hand nook) with one thing enjoying. In QuickTime, you’ll see the identical button—two rectangles and an arrow—on the fitting of the navigation management bar.

Other apps can have their very own settings that you may dig into to discover a picture-in-picture mode, if one’s out there: In VLC Media Player for macOS, you may select Video and Float on Top to maintain it above different home windows, for instance, then resize it and drag it into place. In Safari with a YouTube video enjoying in a browser tab, right-click on the video twice, then select Enter Picture in Picture.

Media Streamers

Picture-in-picture isn’t broadly out there on streaming dongles and set-top bins —you may’t do it with the brand new Chromecast with Google TV, for instance, or with something made by Roku. If your media streamer of selection doesn’t supply it, then examine the choices in your tv set, because it may be out there there (when you have multiple enter out there on the identical time).

The characteristic is offered on Apple TV, although: It works with the primary TV app and third-party apps which have determined to allow it. If you faucet in your distant to carry up the playback controls whereas watching a video, you’ll see the identical picture-in-picture button (two rectangles and an arrow) that you simply get on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Select this to place the video in a smaller window.

Another strategy to get this working is to ship a video to the Apple TV out of your iPhone, iPad or Mac utilizing AirPlay. Once you’ve chosen the Apple TV because the vacation spot and obtained it enjoying, you’re in a position to allow the picture-in-picture mode as earlier than. It’s helpful for apps that don’t really help picture-in-picture on the Apple TV itself.

Elsewhere, you’re largely out of luck on the subject of this dual-window expertise in your media streamer, although some apps supply a restricted picture-in-picture expertise contained in the precise app, so it’s price double-checking. Selected Amazon Fire TV fashions do help picture-in-picture, however just for video feeds coming from suitable safety cameras made by the likes of Ring, Nest, Wyze, and Logitech.