A useful tool or an unnecessary one?
Somehow, phone manufacturers continue to find ways to increase display size year after year, even when it seemed impossible for the trend to continue. While we might decry the loss of smaller smartphones, market trends don’t lie — buyers love what extra screen real estate can provide. Android has plenty of extra features to take advantage of large displays, with picture-in-picture one of its most handy.
Who among us hasn’t been in the middle of binge-watching the latest Netflix original, or streaming your favorite creators on Twitch, only to get an important text message from a friend? Sure, you could pause whatever you’re playing on your phone, jump to the messaging app of your choice, throw back a response, and finally return to your video, but PiP mode makes it so fussing around is completely unnecessary. Just pop out the video, send your text, and return when you’re good and ready. Maybe you want to browse Twitter or catch up on your email before Monday morning rolls around — PiP mode makes it all possible.
It’s not just limited to video, either. Google Maps works in PiP while you’re navigating, a perfect solution for anyone using walking directions, while Duo lets you keep your video calls active in the background. YouTube also lets anyone use pop-out videos — a great benefit, considering background play is locked behind an expensive subscription.
Of course, there are a couple of arguments to be had against PiP. For some, the screen might just not be big enough, even on modern phablet-sized devices. What good is PiP if its window is too small and it still manages to cover up the other content on your display? There’s also split-screen mode, which works great on any tablet or foldable in your life. If you have the screen real estate for a full windowed experience, you might as well use it.
PiP mode’s use around the Android Police staff seems split — some swear by it, others don’t see the point. So we’re turning to our readers to help us decide. Are you a regular PiP user, do you prefer split-screen apps, or would you rather just stick to using one app at a time?
Do you use PiP windows on Android?
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