Recently, Google released another update as second developer preview of Android O, (most likely to be called "Android 8.0 Oreo" but I am not betting on it), bringing many new features and goodies for Android enthusiasts with supported devices. There is a feature called Picture-in-Picture mode which was demoed on the stage but many people couldn't make it work when they downloaded the update, so, today we will teach you how to enable it.
It's a fairly simple process, but can get confusing if this is your first time tinkering with Developer options or the System UI Tuner. Not to worry, though, we're here to walk you through the entire process, since Picture-in-Picture is pretty cool, and everyone deserves to try it out at least once.
Step 1 : Enable the System UI Tuner Menu
In order to toggle Picture-in-Picture mode, we first have to add an extra button to the navigation bar. This additional button can only be added through the hidden System UI Tuner menu, so go ahead and enable it by holding down on the gear icon at the top of the fully expanded Quick Settings panel.
Step 2 : Add an Extra Button
Once you've enabled the System UI Tuner, locate it in Settings -> System -> System UI Tuner. Then, go ahead and tap on the "Navigation bar" entry.
Here, you'll see options for adding extra left and right navigation bar buttons. Go ahead and tap on either of them and select "Keycode," then tap on the new "Right keycode" or "Left keycode" option corresponding with your placement choice. A text input field will pop up, so enter 171 here. Then, tap on "Right icon" or "Left icon," and select the icon you want to represent PiP.
At this point, your navigation bar should now have an extra button, but we still need to try out PiP mode with a supported app to see exactly how it works.
Step 3 : Try It Out
To try out Picture-in-Picture mode, open up a supported app such as YouTube, Chrome And Google Duo then tap the new button on your navigation bar. You'll see YouTube shrink down to almost nothing, but the video will continue. Theoretically, this should work in most apps that support video playback.
You can then open up Chrome and browse away, check your email, or even get directions from Maps. The tiny YouTube frame can also be dragged around and placed elsewhere, so it'll never really be in your way.
Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know of any cool features you've noticed while poking around the latest Android version.
