The latest beta version of Apple’s upcoming tvOS 13 has an unexpected surprise. The company is introducing support for a picture-in-picture mode that allows you to browse while continuing to watch a video. The feature, available in tvOS 13 beta 2, was not previously announced by the company and wasn’t mentioned during its WWDC keynote earlier this month.
For now, picture-in-picture is said to be limited to the Apple TV app, but hopefully the same functionality comes to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and other popular streaming services. If nothing else, it’d allow you to start watching something “eh” and dig through the selection of other apps in hopes of finding a better pick. Or maybe you’d be able to keep tabs on a sports game while playing an Apple Arcade title. Some third-party apps like PlayStation Vue already have their own picture-in-picture solutions; you can watch four live channels simultaneously with Sony’s TV service.
If you’ve ever used picture-in-picture mode on an iPad, this basically looks the same. Inside the smaller video window you’ll see options to maximize it back to full screen or exit out of the content entirely.
In addition to picture-in-picture, tvOS 13 will introduce support for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 controllers, add the ability to view lyrics on screen while listening to music and offer multi-user support including personalized recommendations for each person’s profile.
