Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf
Published Apr 30, 2026, 1:08 PM EDT
Dave Schafer is a passionate storyteller and tech enthusiast. He’s been writing professionally since 2014 and has covered a wide range of topics, from cable and internet providers to VPNs to web hosting. Dave’s work has been featured on publications like All About Cookies, SatelliteInternet.com, and HighSpeedInternet.com, among others.
As a writer, Dave enjoys taking complex topics and making them understandable and relatable to everyday readers — whether that’s exploring the intricacies of a VPN or helping someone choose a better piece of software.
When not writing, Dave enjoys spending time with his family, running, playing the guitar, camping, and serving in his community. His favorite place is the Blue Ridge Mountains, and one day he hopes to retire there (hopefully his fear of heights will have retired by then, too!).
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Summary
- Mobile PiP is now available globally for all YouTube users as of April 29.
- On the free tier, the feature was previously limited to US residents.
- PiP still isn't background play — your screen must stay on, and music playback remains locked behind Premium.
YouTube just got a lot better for free users — as of April 29, picture-in-picture on mobile is now available to non-Premium users globally. This also means there's one less reason to pay for YouTube Premium, a subscription that is very much a love-it-or-hate-it kind of service for many.
Related
What's changed with picture-in-picture on YouTube?
PiP for all
YouTube on Android and iOS has offered PiP for a long time, but only YouTube Premium users have had full access. That part hasn't changed — music is still limited to the top-tier Premium subscription. Meanwhile, PiP on the free tier was previously restricted to US residents, so anyone outside the country was out of luck.
With the change on April 29, all YouTube tiers globally can now access picture-in-picture on mobile. This is a significant change — the ability to multitask without interrupting playback is huge. However, keep in mind that PiP is not the same as background playback. You'll still need your screen on to have playback continue.
Here's the breakdown of how things stand now:
Standard videos
Music
Ads in PiP
Background playback
YouTube Premium
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
YouTube Premium Lite
Yes
No
Limited ads
Yes
YouTube (Free)
Yes
No
Yes
No
Is YouTube Premium still worth it?
Ad-free viewing is still the main selling point
YouTube Premium is a bit of a controversial service. Some people absolutely swear by it, saying it's the only subscription they'll never cancel.
However, others feel it's not worth the cost, or lament that YouTube seems to be making ads worse to drive users to pay.
What do you get with YouTube Premium?
If you're wondering whether Premium is worth it for you, here's a rundown of the headline features:
- No ads: This is the big one for many. No ads on YouTube on any device.
- Unlimited background play: This is especially nice for music.
- Full PiP access: None of the annoying content restrictions of the other tiers.
- YouTube Music Premium: YouTube's streaming music service is included with YouTube Premium. It's not necessarily as good as Spotify, but if you're paying for Premium for another reason, it could let you drop your Spotify subscription and save even more.
What side of the fence do you fall on? Are you a Premium subscriber, or do you think it's a waste of money? Drop us a comment and let us know.
YouTube Music is YouTube's music streaming service. It offers a free, ad-supported tier and a premium, ad-free plan. Pricing is very competitive — it's cheaper than Spotify, and comes included with a YouTube Premium subscription.