YouTube TV currently doesn’t support picture-in-picture on iOS devices, but owners of an iPad can use the split screen feature. While this won’t offer the same experience as picture-in-picture, it is an option for those wanting to watch live TV while using other apps on the tablet at the same time.
YouTube TV comes with a fairly decent level of device support with the option to watch on smart TVs, phones, laptops, tablets, and more. Although this is a service owned by Google, the device support extends to include multiple Apple devices, such as iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, making it a good option regardless of the operating system.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the overall experiences are equal. For example, Android device owners are able to use a picture-in-picture mode to stream YouTube TV in a smaller window. This then allows them to continue to use the device for other things at the same time. Technically, picture-in-picture is also available on iOS devices as well, it is just the YouTube TV app has not added support for the iOS version yet.
YouTube TV in split screen mode on iPad
While the lack of feature support is going to be an inconvenience for YouTube TV subscribers who prefer to access the service on an iPhone or iPad, those using Apple’s tablet do have the option of using a split screen mode.
Split View on iPad allows the use of two different apps at the same time, including YouTube TV. At present, Split View mode is only available on iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air 2 (and later), and iPad mini 4 (and later).
How to use Split View with YouTube TV:
- Open the YouTube TV app
- Swipe up from the bottom to open the Dock
- Touch and hold a second app
- Drag it off the dock (to the left or right edge)
Once enabled, iPad users will be able to use the YouTube TV app to watch live TV while browsing the internet using Safari, messaging with others, or for accessing any other app at the same time.
Split screen not a solution for multiple streams
While Split View is a solution for iPad users who want to watch live TV while using a second app at the same time, it is not going to solve the issue of watching two different shows, movies, or live sports events at the same time. Technically, Split View on iPad does allow users to open two windows from the same app and use them in split screen mode, but the way YouTube TV works, that’s not going to help with watching more than one video.
Even if it was possible, this would greatly impact on the stream allowance. YouTube TV only allows subscribers to stream on a limited number of devices at the same time. While these streams are determined by the device, that’s mostly due to each device only being capable of streaming one channel or video at a time.
If the user was able to stream two different videos simultaneously on the one device, YouTube would recognize these as two different streams. Essentially, this would greatly affect the number of streams available to other users sharing the same YouTube TV account.
YouTube TV on iPad supports AirPlay
In addition to Chromecast support, YouTube TV also supports AirPlay. Due to this, and regardless of whether a TV has the YouTube TV app installed, the subscriber can use an iPad to stream YouTube TV to a smart TV.
So long as the smart TV also supports AirPlay, and is connected to the same Wi-Fi network, then the user should have no issues with sending any YouTube TV feeds they want to watch from the iPad to the TV. The instructions to do this won’t be any different to any other app and simply require the user to launch the YouTube TV app on an iPad, select the live TV channel (or on-demand video) they want to watch and then tap on the AirPlay icon.
Again, while AirPlay is not a replacement for picture-in-picture, this is another option for those who want to watch YouTube TV while using other apps on the iPad at the same time.
YouTube TV split screen on iPad summary
YouTube TV currently doesn’t support picture-in-picture on iOS devices, but those with an iPad can enable Split View mode to watch live TV on one half of the tablet, while using another app on the other half. However, this will not make it possible to watch two different YouTube TV channels or videos at the same time.
Even if it could, watching two YouTube TV streams simulatsounsly on the one device would greatly impact on the overall account’s number of available streams, potentially affecting access to live TV streaming for other users sharing the same YouTube TV account.
An alternate option is to simply make use of YouTube TV’s AirPlay support. While this option does come with some additional requirements, it is another way to watch YouTube TV while using an iPad to do other things at the same time.
Read more: How to Watch YouTube TV on a MacBook
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