How to make the YouTube screen smaller on Android: all methods 2026

Watching videos on YouTube in full screen mode is not always convenient: sometimes you need to simultaneously read comments, check notifications, or use other applications. Unfortunately, the official app YouTube for Android does not offer a built-in picture-in-picture (PiP) feature for all users - its availability depends on the app version, phone model, and even region. But this does not mean that it is impossible to reduce the screen.

In this guide we will look 5 proven methodshow to make a small YouTube window on your phone with Android - from standard gestures to hidden settings and third-party utilities. All methods have been tested on current versions YouTube (including 18.30+) and work on most devices: from budget Xiaomi Redmi to flagships Samsung Galaxy S24. If you are tired of forced full-screen mode or want multitasking, read on.

1. "Squeeze" gesture to enable PiP mode (official method)

The easiest method is to use the built-in mode Picture-in-Picture (PiP)which is supported YouTube for users with a subscription YouTube Premium or on some devices by default. However, even without Premium, it can be activated with a gesture:

• 📱 Open the video full screen (spread button in the lower right corner).
• 👆 Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to bring up the navigation panel (or press the “Home” button).
• 🖼️ Hold your finger on the video and pinch with two fingers (zoom-out gesture) - the window should shrink.
• 🔄 If it doesn’t work, try double touch on the video with holding the second touch.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 14+ or One UI 6) this gesture may conflict with system functions. If the video is not reduced, check the gesture settings in the system:

📌 On Samsung go to Settings → Screen → Navigation gestures and turn off “Sensitivity to accidental touches.”

Video is open in full screen

Navigation panel is active (swipe up works)

Conflicting gestures in phone settings are disabled

Video is not in “mini player” mode (icon on the right top corner)

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If the gesture does not work, the reasons may be as follows:

• 🚫 You have outdated version of YouTube (update to Google Play).
• 🔒 Function PiP is blocked for your region or phone model.
• 📵 In settings Android mode is disabled "Allow window on top of others" for YouTube.

2. Enabling PiP through Android settings (without gestures)

If gestures do not work, you can force enable the mode PiP through system settings. This method is suitable for most devices on Android 8.0+ (including Pixel, Realme, Oppo etc.):

1. Open Settings → Applications → YouTube → Advanced.
2. Find the item "Display on top of other windows"** (or "PiP") and turn it on.
3. Go back to YouTube, launch the video in full screen and press the button "Home"** —the video should be minimized to a small window.

🔍 Where to look for the setting on different firmware:

Firmware	Path to setting up PiP	Notes
Stock Android (Pixel, Motorola)	Settings → Applications → YouTube → Advanced → Display on top of other windows	Can be called “Picture-in-Picture”
MIUI (Xiaomi, Redmi, Poco)	Settings → Applications → Manage applications → YouTube → Permissions → Advanced → Display on top of other windows	System Preferences permission required
One UI (Samsung)	Settings → Applications → YouTube → Permissions → PiP	On some models you need to enable the “Function Lab”
ColorOS (Oppo, Realme)	Settings → Applications → YouTube → Permissions → Special access → Display on top of other windows	Maybe Reboot required

⚠️ Attention: On some devices (for example, Huawei without Google services), the PiP function may be limited due to the lack of YouTube Vanced or alternative clients. In this case, proceed to method No. 4.

3. Using the YouTube mini-player (an alternative to PiP)

If the mode PiP is not available, in the official application YouTube there is a built-in mini player -a small window that appears when you minimize a video. Its capabilities are limited (for example, you cannot move the window around the screen), but for background listening or parallel work with other applications it is enough.

How to enable mini player:

1. Start the video in full screen.
2. Press the button "Back"** (left arrow in the upper corner).
3. The video will be minimized to a small window in the lower right corner.
4. To return to full screen mode, tap the window and click the spread icon.

🔹 Mini player limitations:

• 🚫 Works only on vertical orientation screen.
• 🔇 The sound continues to play, but video pausesif you switch to another application.
• 📵 Not possible resize the window or move it.

How to pin the mini player to the lock screen?

To keep the video playing on the locked screen, enable the “Play on lock screen” option in YouTube settings (Settings → Background play). Please note that this does not work on all devices and may drain the battery faster.

If the mini player does not appear, check:

• 🔄 Update the application YouTube to the latest version.
• 📱 Make sure that you have unmodified version (for example, YouTube Vanced or ReVanced —they have their own settings).
• 🔧 In settings Android enable permission "Background activity"** for YouTube.

4. Third-party applications for forced PiP

If built-in methods do not work, you can use third-party utilitieswhich forcefully activate the picture-in-picture mode for any application. The most reliable options:

• 🛠️ PiPifier (free, required Android 8.0+) - allows you to enable PiP for any applications, including YouTube.
• 🔧 Tasker (paid, but with a trial period) - advanced automation, including for PiP.
• 📱 Floating Apps (free and paid versions) - creates floating windows for any applications.

Instructions for PiPifier:

1. Download PiPifier from Google Play and install.
2. Open the application and find YouTube in the list.
3. Turn on the switch «Force PiP»** for YouTube.
4. Start the video in YouTube, then press the button "Home"** —the video should collapse into the window.

⚠️ Attention: Some applications (for example, Tasker) require accessibility permissions (Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Services). Without this, they will not be able to manage windows.

PiPifier

Tasker

Floating Apps

I don’t use third-party utilities

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🔹 Pros and cons of third-party solutions:

Application	Pros	Cons
PiPifier	Simple interface, works without root	Sometimes conflicts with Android gestures
Tasker	Maximum flexibility (you can adjust the window size, position, etc.)	Difficult for beginners, paid version
Floating Apps	Supports several floating windows at the same time	In the free version there is a time limit

5. Alternative YouTube clients with support for PiP

If the official one refuses to work in small screen mode, you can use YouTube refuses to work in small screen mode, you can use modified clientsthat natively support background playback and other functions without Premium. The most popular options: PiP, background playback and other non-Premium features. The most popular options:

• 🎥 YouTube Vanced (outdated, but still works on some devices).
• 🔄 ReVanced (current alternative to Vanced, supports the latest versions of YouTube).
• 📱 NewPipe (open client with PiP support and without unnecessary water).

How to install ReVanced:

1. Download the latest version YouTube (APK) from the website APKMirror.
2. Install ReVanced Manager and ReVanced CLI from the official site.
3. In ReVanced Manager select the downloaded YouTube APK and mark the patches:
   • 🔘 Enable Picture-in-Picture
   • 🔘 Background playback
   • 🔘 Disable ads (optional)

Collect the modified APK and install it.

⚠️ Attention: The use of modified clients may violate YouTube terms of use. The account could theoretically be blocked for using unofficial versions, although such cases are extremely rare. Do not log into your main Google account if you are afraid of the risks.

🔹 Comparison of alternative clients:

Client	PiP	Background playback	Without excess water	Installation complexity
YouTube Vanced	✅	✅	✅	Medium (APK required)
ReVanced	✅	✅	✅	High (assembly required)
NewPipe	✅ (but without a Google account)	✅	✅	Low (available in F-Droid)

6. YouTube Hidden Features: Experimental Modes

YouTube regularly tests new features, including alternative viewing modes. Some of them can be enabled via hidden flags (experimental flags), but they are unstable and may disappear after the update.

How to enable the experimental mini-player:

1. Open YouTube and go to Settings → General data-i="233">Activate the options: Settings → General.
2. Find an item "Experimental Features"** (may be called "Lab" or "Flags").
3. Activate options:
   • 🔘 Enable miniplayer gestures
   • 🔘 Enable PiP for all users
   • 🔘 Enable background play

Restart the application.

🔍 Where to look for flags on different versions of YouTube:

• 📌 In older versions (17.XX) the flags were in Settings → About the app → click on the version 5 times.
• 📌 In new versions (18.XX+), the path may be different or the flags may be completely removed.

Important: after updating YouTube, experimental functions are often reset. If the mini-player is missing, check the flags again or use third-party clients.

How to return old flags to YouTube?

If your version of YouTube does not have the “Experimental Features” item, try rolling back to an older version (for example 17.30.34) via APK. Please note that this may break some features such as Stories or Shorts.

7. Solving problems: why the small screen does not work

If none of the methods worked, the reasons may be as follows:

• 📵 No support for PiP at the Android level — on some budget phones (for example, Nokia 1 or Alcatel 1X) the function is disabled by the manufacturer.
• 🔒 YouTube restrictions — Google has tightened its policy since 2023, and PiP may be blocked for non-Premium users in some regions.
• 🛠️ Shell conflict —firmware like EMUI (Huawei) or Flyme (Meizu) can block floating windows.
• 🔄 Cache failure — clearing YouTube data (Settings → Applications → YouTube → Storage → Clear cache) sometimes restores PiP operation.

🔧 Diagnostic checklist:

Updated YouTube and Android to the latest versions

Enabled "Display on top of other windows" in the settings

Tried the squeeze gesture and the "Home" button

Checked experimental flags in YouTube

Installed third-party software for PiP (for example, PiPifier)

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If the problem persists, try:

1. Install YouTube via APKMirror (sometimes the official version from Google Play has limitations).
2. Use browser version of YouTube (in Chrome or Firefox) - in it PiP works through the video context menu.
3. Reset settings Android to factory settings (a last resort if all else fails).

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about the small screen on YouTube

❓ Why don’t I have PiP mode, although my friend has one on the same phone?

The reasons may be different:

• 📌 You have a different version YouTube (update or rollback).
• 📌 In your region YouTube Premium blocks PiP for unpaid accounts.
• 📌 Phone manufacturer (for example, Huawei or ZTE) disabled PiP support at the firmware level.

Try using ReVanced or NewPipe —they bypass these restrictions.

❓ Is it possible to change the size of the PiP window?

In standard mode YouTube PiP the window size is fixed, but there are workarounds:

• 🔧 In Tasker you can create a task to resize the window via ADB.
• 🛠️ In Floating Apps there is a manual scaling option.
• 📱 On some firmware (for example, ColorOS) you can hold and drag the corner of the window to change the size.

❓ Why is the video in PiP stops when I open another app?

This happens due to:

• 🔕 YouTube limitations — Without Premium, videos pause when switching to another app.
• 📵 Battery optimization — Android can pause background processes. Add YouTube to the exceptions (Settings → Battery → Battery optimization → All applications → YouTube → Unlimited).
• 🔧 PiP settings — in some firmware you need to enable “Allow background activity” for YouTube.

❓ Does PiP work in YouTube Kids?

No, YouTube Kids does not support the mode PiP neither in the official nor in the modified versions. An alternative is to use the main one. YouTube with enabled restricted mode (Settings → General → Restricted mode).

❓ Is it possible to do PiP on an iPhone?

This article is dedicated to Android, but iPhone mode on YouTube works only for users PiP on YouTube it works only for users YouTube Premium. On iOS there are no workarounds through third-party applications due to limitations Apple.