YouTube is one of the most popular and widely used video-sharing platforms in the world. Millions of people watch, upload, and share videos on YouTube every day. However, if you are an iPhone user, you may have encountered a problem when watching YouTube videos on your device. You may have noticed that you cannot minimize YouTube on iPhone, meaning that you cannot use other apps or functions while watching a video. This can be frustrating and inconvenient, especially if you want to multitask or save battery life.

Fortunately, there are some ways to overcome this limitation and minimize YouTube on iPhone. In this article, we will show you how to do that using different methods and tools. By following these steps, you will be able to watch YouTube videos in a small window on your screen, or even play them in the background with your screen off. This way, you can enjoy YouTube videos while doing other things on your iPhone.

Method 1: Use Safari Browser

One of the easiest and simplest ways to minimize YouTube on iPhone is to use the Safari browser instead of the YouTube app. Safari is the default web browser on iOS devices, and it has a feature that allows you to play videos in Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. PiP mode lets you watch a video in a small window that floats on top of other apps or screens. Here is how to use Safari to minimize YouTube on iPhone:

• Open Safari on your iPhone and go to YouTube.com.
• Search for the video you want to watch and tap on it.
• Tap on the full-screen icon at the bottom right corner of the video player.
• Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go back to the home screen. The video will automatically shrink into a small window that you can move around or resize.
• To play the video in the background with your screen off, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to open the Control Center. Tap on the play button to resume the video playback.

Method 2: Use Opera Mini Browser

Another way to minimize YouTube on iPhone is to use Opera Mini browser. Opera Mini is a free web browser that has a built-in video player that supports PiP mode. Unlike Safari, Opera Mini also allows you to play YouTube videos in the background with your screen off without opening the Control Center. Here is how to use Opera Mini to minimize YouTube on iPhone:

• Download and install Opera Mini from the App Store on your iPhone.
• Open Opera Mini and go to YouTube.com.
• Search for the video you want to watch and tap on it.
• Tap on the three-dot icon at the bottom right corner of the video player and select Request desktop site.
• Tap on the full-screen icon at the bottom right corner of the video player.
• Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go back to the home screen. The video will automatically shrink into a small window that you can move around or resize.
• To play the video in the background with your screen off, just press the power button on your iPhone.

Method 3: Use Shortcuts App

A third way to minimize YouTube on iPhone is to use Shortcuts app. Shortcuts is an app that lets you create and run custom actions or workflows on your iOS device. You can use Shortcuts to create a shortcut that enables PiP mode for YouTube videos. Here is how to use Shortcuts app to minimize YouTube on iPhone:

• Download and install Shortcuts from the App Store on your iPhone.
• Open Shortcuts and tap on Gallery at the bottom right corner of the screen.
• Search for YouTube PiP and tap on it.
• Tap on Add Shortcut and then tap on OK.
• Go back to My Shortcuts and tap on YouTube PiP.
• The shortcut will ask you to enter a YouTube URL. You can either paste a URL from another app or type it manually.
• Tap on Done and wait for the shortcut to run.
• The shortcut will open Safari and play the video in PiP mode. You can then go back to the home screen or use other apps while watching the video.

Conclusion

Minimizing YouTube on iPhone can be very useful and convenient for many reasons. You can watch YouTube videos while doing other tasks, save battery life, or listen to music or podcasts without interruption. In this article, we showed you how to minimize YouTube on iPhone using three different methods: Safari browser, Opera Mini browser, and Shortcuts app. You can try any of these methods and see which one works best for you. We hope this article helped you learn how to minimize YouTube on iPhone and enjoy your favorite videos more easily.