YouTube 'finally' makes Premium feature free for millions of users worldwide
One of YouTube's best features will soon be made free for everyone across the world, as the previously Premium-locked tool has now completed a successful test for certain users in the United States.
While most people will opt to pay for YouTube Premium in order to block adverts – outside of a few countries who do this by default – there are also a number of additional benefits that make the money you pay every month feel more worthwhile.
You can take advantage of extended playback speeds, and rumors have suggested that the setting as a whole could soon be locked behind a subscription, and the ability to download videos and watch them offline makes long-haul travel a breeze.
One of the most underrated features that you really start to appreciate when it's not there, however, is the picture-in-picture (PiP) mode that's perfect for multitasking.
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This allows you to watch any video in a small floating screen fixed on top of anything else you do on your phone, allowing you to continue your viewing experience while also scrolling through Instagram or catching up on emails.
Picture-in-picture was previously locked behind the Premium subscription for a number of years before a test period opened it up for certain users in the United States — and now YouTube has extended that to the rest of the world in a game-changing move.
As reported by MacRumors, YouTube's picture-in-picture feature will soon be rolling out globally for all smartphone or tablet, letting them enjoy content in a different way in the coming months.
There are some caveats you'll have to be aware of if you're not already a Premium subscriber, as the free version of PiP will only be able to be used for longform content and will be blocked for music.
That means you won't be able to enjoy your favorite songs while using other apps, nor will you be able to continue listening to any lengthy chill- or ambient-focused videos even if they might not feature songs in the traditional format.
So long as the device you're using supports the newest version of the YouTube app then you should be able to take advantage of the feature, meaning that it works for iPhones, iPads, and most new Android devices.
All you need to do to activate picture-in-picture mode is swipe up – or whatever function you've set to exit the YouTube app – and the video will continue within a small player to the side of the screen, which you can subsequently close at any point.