In this guide, we’ll show you how to use Android’s picture-in-picture feature available in Android 8 Oreo and later. Next, we’ll share a list of best apps that take advantage of it. After nearly a year of something you’ve enjoyed on Android TV and possibly cable, Android finally has a capable picture-in-picture mode.
While the list of apps that can take advantage of picture-in-picture is still small, it grows every month. With the release of Android 9 Pie in August 2018, even more apps got this capability.
Google’s PIP mode is similar to multi-window, but works completely differently. You can see and receive Google Maps navigation directions while reading a text message. Or minimize YouTube to answer a quick phone call or check your email. Watch our video below to see the Android PIP mod and a list of great apps to try.
Android’s picture-in-picture mode works on cable boxes or your TV the way you probably remember it. Just hit the home button while using Google Maps, YouTube, Netflix or even VLC. Instead of going home, YouTube retreats to the corner of your screen and continues playing. Something similar happens with Google Maps and other apps.
You can then move it around or expand it to full screen and pick up where you left off. It’s worth noting that the system works the same for all apps, but how you actually enter PIP mode is slightly different for some.
For example, as shown above, in Google Chrome you must first open a video in full screen mode. Then press the home button to start PIP. You will see it in the bottom right and it continues to play. Tap the window for a wider view of the controls and options. You can pause, play, fast forward, close or rewind the video to full screen.
To close the PIP window, fully tap on it and press X or drag and drop from the screen. In VLC, you have to manually select the PIP mode from the menu while playing the video. Try picture-in-picture mode with any of the apps below.
Android Best Apps to Support Picture-in-Picture Mode
We first saw support with Google Maps, but it’s slowly spreading to other apps. We expect the list of supported apps to grow continuously over the coming weeks and months.
Not to mention browsers like Microsoft Edge, Brave Browser, HDHomeRun, IGTV and others. Most of these also work without any changes.
If you want, you can check and see which apps you have installed and running in PIP mode. go to Or search for “picture in picture” on your Galaxy device.
These Android apps support Picture-in-Picture mode
Here you will see all the apps that work with this new Android 8.0 Oreo feature. To use PIP in VLC, go to Play Store, find VLC and scroll to the bottom and tap “Yes, I’m in” to join the beta program. Then download the latest version of the app. We expect this to become available to all users in the coming weeks.
Again, this is just a small list of apps that support a pretty cool feature. It’s something Android users have been asking about for years, and it’s only going to get better. We expect some of the most popular video and media player apps to add, if not already, soon, including music players and more.
Before you go, take a look here at how Android 9 Pie compares to Android 8 Oreo.
