Xiaomi has announced that it will be removing a feature that allowed users to play YouTube videos in the background for free. This feature was similar to the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode available to YouTube Premium users, who pay for ad-free streaming. The decision to remove this feature comes as YouTube is cracking down on third-party apps and features that could impact their paying user base.
The company shared the news through a post on its Telegram channel, stating that it will eliminate the ability to play video sound with the screen off and turn off the screen features through software updates. While Xiaomi did not provide specific reasons for this move, it mentioned that it is in line with compliance requirements.
This change affects all smartphones running MIUI 12, MIUI 13, MIUI 14, and the new HyperOS, including models like Xiaomi 14, Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi 13 Pro, and Xiaomi 12T. Xiaomi had introduced the feature to support video playback without an active screen with the MIUI 12 update in 2021.
YouTube has been making efforts to encourage more users to subscribe to YouTube Premium by restricting features like ad blockers and making it harder to skip ads. Xiaomi users affected by the removal of the native feature can still access YouTube videos in PiP or background player mode if they are YouTube Premium subscribers.
While there are reports of YouTube potentially introducing PiP mode for non-Premium users outside the US, the company has not confirmed this development.
