Quick answer
PiP: turn it on in both places: your phone (Android: Settings > Apps > YouTube > Picture-in-picture; iPhone: Settings > General > Picture in Picture > Start PiP Automatically) and the YouTube app (Settings > Playback > Picture-in-Picture). Music videos only play in PiP with Premium. Background play: needs Premium; check your membership, sign out and back in, update the app, and make sure the background play setting and background data are on.
Does this match what you see?
- The video doesn’t shrink into a small player when you leave YouTube.
- Music videos stop in picture-in-picture.
- Audio stops when you lock the screen or switch apps, even with Premium.
iPhone & iPadAndroid
Based on YouTube Help’s picture-in-picture pages (Android and iPhone & iPad) and its Android “Background play isn’t working” page, read on November 6, 2026.
Why this happens: the possible causes
PiP or background play: what each needs.
| Feature | Needs Premium? | Common blocker |
|---|---|---|
| Picture-in-picture | No, except for music content | PiP off in phone settings or the YouTube app; iPhone needs iOS 15 or later |
| Background play | Yes | Membership expired, wrong account, setting off, background data off |
- PiP switched offCheck this first
YouTube says PiP must be allowed in your phone’s settings and turned on in the YouTube app’s Playback settings.
- Music contentCheck this first
YouTube says music such as official music videos, Art Tracks, children’s songs and song covers plays in PiP only for Premium members.
- Premium issuePossible
YouTube says background play requires Premium, the right signed-in account, and a country where Premium is available.
Try these 60-second checks first
- Leave the app while the video is playing: pausing first stops PiP from starting.
- Update the YouTube app.
How to fix it, step by step
Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and only move to steps that sign you out or remove data later.
Fix 1: Turn on picture-in-picture (phone and app)
YouTube says PiP needs to be on in your device settings and in the YouTube app.
iPhone & iPad
- Check your iPhone or iPad runs iOS 15 or later.
- Phone: Settings > General > Picture in Picture, and turn on Start PiP Automatically.
- YouTube app: Settings > Playback, and turn on Picture-in-Picture.
- Play a video and leave the app. To close the player, tap it, then the X in the top-left corner.
Android
- Phone: Settings > Apps > YouTube > Advanced > Picture-in-picture, and turn on Allow picture-in-picture.
- YouTube app: Settings > Playback, and turn on Picture-in-Picture.
- Play a video and leave the app: it shrinks into a PiP window you can drag around. Close it with the X, or drag it to the bottom of the screen.
YouTube says PiP is on by default on iOS 15 and later, unless you’ve turned off background play in the YouTube app.
Did it work? The video keeps playing in a small window when you leave YouTube.
Did Fix 1 solve it?
Great, you fixed it with Fix 1. Tell us it worked, or bookmark this page in case it happens again.
Fix 2: Premium: fix background play
YouTube’s checklist for when background play stops working (written for Android).
- Restart the YouTube app or your phone: YouTube says low device resources can stop background play.
- Check your membership: profile picture > Paid memberships > Manage. Make sure Premium hasn’t expired.
- Sign out and back in with the account that has Premium. You should see the YouTube Premium logo, not the standard one.
- Location: YouTube says Premium benefits only work in countries where Premium is available.
- Setting: check the background playback setting in the YouTube app isn’t turned off.
- Update the YouTube app; YouTube says versions below 12.0 are outdated.
- Background data: allow YouTube background data in your phone’s settings.
- Other audio: close or pause other apps playing sound: background play won’t work while another app plays audio.
- Notifications: if you’ve blocked all YouTube notifications at the phone level, YouTube says the app may not run properly in the background. Turn them back on at the device level (you can still turn them off inside the YouTube app).
YouTube says some videos can’t play in the background at all. Just resubscribed? Saved videos can take a few hours to come back; tap ⋮ > Retry download to watch one now.
Did it work? Audio keeps playing with the screen off or in another app.
Did Fix 2 solve it?
Great, you fixed it with Fix 2. Tell us it worked, or bookmark this page in case it happens again.
Why music videos won’t play in picture-in-picture
YouTube says PiP works for most videos, but music content (official music videos, Art Tracks, children’s songs and user-made song covers) plays in PiP only for YouTube Premium members. Premium members also keep listening in background play when they dismiss the PiP player. See YouTube Premium.
Still stops? Tell YouTube exactly what happens
YouTube suggests contacting support and saying whether the sound stops as soon as you leave the app or after a while, plus any error you see when you return. You can also send in-app feedback (profile picture > Feedback) with System logs ticked; you won’t get a reply, but it goes to YouTube’s product teams. See contact YouTube support.
How to know it worked
- PiP appears when you leave the app, and Premium background play keeps going.
Still not working? Your next steps
- Videos won’t play at all? See YouTube videos not playing.
Official help routes
SocialAppFix can’t see or change your account. For account decisions, recovery and appeals, only the platform’s own tools can help. These links go to the official sites.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need YouTube Premium for picture-in-picture?
Not for most videos. YouTube says music content in PiP is for Premium members only.
Do I need Premium for background play?
Yes. YouTube says background play requires a YouTube Premium membership.
Why doesn’t picture-in-picture work on my iPhone?
YouTube says you need iOS 15 or later, Start PiP Automatically on in iOS settings, and Picture-in-Picture on in the YouTube app’s Playback settings.
Why does YouTube stop when another app plays sound?
YouTube says background play won’t work while another app is playing audio.
Did this solve your problem?
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Out of date or didn’t work? Email us — never include passwords or codes.
Sources and how we checked this guide
We base steps on the platforms’ own help pages and the phone makers’ official guides. Menu names change often and can differ by device, app version and region. Where a platform page could not be independently read, we link it so you can check the current wording yourself.
- Using picture-in-picture on your mobile device (external site, opens in a new tab)
- Background play isn’t working (external site, opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed 6 November 2026 by the SocialAppFix editorial team against the sources above. Next scheduled review: 6 May 2027. How we write and review guides.
What changed
- 6 November 2026: First published.
SocialAppFix is an independent guide and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google or YouTube. We never ask for passwords, login codes or payment to fix an account.