Yes, you can play YouTube while browsing on an iPad using Picture-in-Picture (PiP) for a floating video or by using a browser like Safari to play video while multitasking, with the best free method often involving the Safari browser and requesting the desktop site. While the YouTube app offers PiP with a Premium subscription, Safari offers a free workaround by requesting the desktop version of YouTube, entering full-screen mode, and then activating the PiP icon to float the video over other apps.
Turning picture-in-picture ON
Picture-in-picture is turned on by default for devices running iOS 15.0 and above that have not turned off background play in the YouTube app. Picture-in-picture. To turn on, toggle Start PiP Automatically to on.
With Picture in Picture, you can watch a video or use FaceTime while you use other apps. or press the Home button (on an iPad with a Home button). The video window scales down to a corner of your screen so you can see the Home Screen and open other apps.
To use picture-in-picture (PiP), exit the YouTube app while a video is playing. If you have the PiP setting turned on, the video will shrink into a PiP window. The PiP window can be dragged to different parts of the screen, allowing playback to continue on top of other apps.
Restart Your Device and Browser
If a YouTube video randomly pauses for no apparent reason: Restart your phone, tablet, or your computer. If you are using a browser, close it & open it again.
Steps
You can play YouTube in the background using a browser trick (requesting desktop site in Chrome/Safari) for free audio, enabling Picture-in-Picture (PiP) in app settings for video multitasking (often needs Premium), or by subscribing to YouTube Premium for seamless background audio and video across devices.
Accessing the camera while multitasking on iPad
Background playback is available on your mobile browser with YouTube Premium. You can turn on YouTube Premium benefits by signing in with your YouTube Premium account (restrictions apply). Learn more about YouTube Premium benefits.
To minimize YouTube and let it play in the background, enable picture-in-picture in your Android or iPhone's settings. Then, enable PiP on YouTube in Settings > Playback. Play a video, and then navigate to a different screen or app.
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