Google Messages quietly drops YouTube picture-in-picture feature
Top 3 Key Points:
- YouTube PiP Removed: Google Messages no longer supports YouTube’s picture-in-picture (PiP) mode.
- Silent Update: The feature was removed without any official announcement from Google.
- Potential Reasons: The removal might be due to low usage or the introduction of new YouTube features.
Google Messages, the default messaging app on most Android devices, has seen several updates and tweaks over time. Some of these changes have been positive, like the ability to hide the Gemini toggle or reposition image captions. However, a recent APK teardown has revealed that Google has quietly removed a popular feature—support for YouTube videos in picture-in-picture (PiP) mode.
Introduced in 2022, the PiP feature allowed users to watch YouTube videos directly within Google Messages when a link was shared. This was particularly useful as it prevented the need to switch between apps. However, the latest beta version of Google Messages indicates that this feature has been entirely removed. The code and text that triggered the PiP function are now missing, and in the stable version of the app, users no longer see video thumbnails or previews. Instead, when a YouTube link is clicked, it now redirects to the YouTube app instead of displaying a floating video window.
Despite the removal, Google has not provided any official explanation for this change. It’s possible that the feature wasn’t widely used, or perhaps users were simply unaware of it. This theory seems plausible given that many users, including the author, didn’t use the feature often.
On the bright side, YouTube is working on a new and improved mini-player for its app. This new version will allow users to resize and move the miniplayer around the screen, offering more flexibility compared to the current one, which is fixed at the bottom. Google has confirmed that this update is currently being tested with a small group of users across various platforms, including the web, mobile, and tablet versions of the YouTube app.
While it’s disappointing to see the PiP feature go from Google Messages, Google may be focusing on enhancing YouTube’s functionality instead.