The picture-in-picture mode is a nifty feature that lets users enjoy streaming a show on full screen and a smaller window. While this has been a feature on Apple TV for a few years, few people know about it. So, how do you do picture-in-picture on Apple TV?
To use the picture-in-picture on Apple TV while playing a movie or TV show, show the playback control, then select the picture-in-picture button. When you do this, the currently playing video will move to a smaller viewer in the corner of your screen while you can play another video in the main area simultaneously.
Although this feature may seem hidden initially, it is easy to do a picture-in-picture view on Apple TV. You can enable this feature on most Apple TVs, including Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD with tvOS 13 or later.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to use the picture-in-picture feature on Apple TV and answer some questions you may have.
Step-by-Step Guide to Enabling Apple TV Picture-in-Picture Mode
Using the picture-in-picture mode is supported on most apps on your Apple TV. If you are not getting this feature on any app that should support it, then you may need to update the app to access the feature.
Here’s how to enable Apple TV’s picture-in-picture mode.
Step #1: Open Apple TV Control Center
The first step to using the picture-in-picture mode is to play something on your Apple TV. You can play anything from a video from a streaming app or a feed from your camera. With the video playing, long-press the TV button on your Apple TV remote to open the Control Center.
Step #2: Navigate to the Picture-In-Picture Icon
With the Control Center on display, use the clickpad ring on the remote to navigate to the picture-in-picture icon and click on it. The picture-in-picture icon is often located at the bottom-right corner of the screen, so it shouldn’t be hard to identify, provided the Control Center is on display.
Step #3: Open a New Video
When you click on the picture-in-picture icon, the previous video on the main screen will move to a smaller viewer in the corner of the screen. At this point, you can then select the new video you want to play. You can choose to play a camera feed or a streaming video app, whichever you want. Alternatively, you could press the Siri button and ask Siri to pull up the video you want.
Step #4: Control the Mode
With the two videos on display, you can set and adjust them as you see fit. You can move the video to the smaller viewer by pressing the TV button to show additional controls. These controls let you move the video in the smaller viewer to one of the four corners of the TV screen or switch the video in fullscreen with the one in the smaller viewer.
While the picture-in-picture feature is excellent, the problem is that hardly any video source supports it natively except the Apple TV interface. So, you may not be able to watch Netflix and Hulu simultaneously. Fortunately, a workaround allows you to use picture-in-picture with many apps today.
Conclusion
The picture-in-picture feature is a helpful tool on Apple TV that lets you enjoy watching two video feeds simultaneously. Sadly, not many streaming apps support this feature. Using AirPlay as a workaround has limitations, including the inability to flip the smaller video with the larger one if the larger one does not support the picture-in-picture feature.
With the screen in the smaller viewer, you can choose another app from your Apple TV to play another app on the larger window. Using the procedure works even with two instances of the same app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Playing two videos simultaneously with picture-in-picture on Apple TV automatically mutes one of its audio. The video in the smaller viewer is what often gets muted while the audio in the main screenplays out. However, you can always switch between the smaller view and the main screen to listen to what is happening in the smaller viewer and switch back when necessary.
In many cases, Apple’s AirPlay feature is a workaround to using the picture-in-picture feature. Any iOS app that supports AirPlay will allow you to send video to your TV by hitting the AirPlay icon. As soon as the video starts playing on your TV, you can shrink it by tapping on the remote and selecting the picture-in-picture icon.
