Top 8 Fixes for Prime Video Picture-in-Picture Not Working on Android and iPhone

Normally, you can watch a video in the browser or open another app on your phone. With Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode, you can watch video in a floating window while using other applications. This means that you can watch an Amazon Prime Video movie or show while quickly browsing your email. Unfortunately, the Picture-in-Picture functionality is discontinued for many Prime Video users. This article will help you to restore not working Picture-in-Picture mode on Android and iPhone for Prime Video app to work.

When Picture-in-Picture mode is on, Prime video or video from other apps will shrink into a floating window. You can move it around the screen and use it to play or pause the video. Picture-in-Picture mode offers a great way to multitask between apps on Android and iPhone.

Let’s check the solutions.

1. Restart the phone

The first thing to do is restart your Android phone or iPhone once. Often the problem can be temporary and restarting the phone works like magic.

2. Check the necessary conditions

Picture-in-Picture mode for the Amazon Prime video app only works on limited devices. In the case of Android phones, your phone must be running Android 8.0 Oreo or higher. Likewise, Picture-in-Picture mode requires at least iOS 14 on iPhone.

To check your version of Android, go to Settings> System> About on your Android phone. The software version number will be listed under Android version.

On iPhone, go to Settings> General> About. Check the software version listed under the Version entry.

3. Activate Picture-in-Picture mode

To use Picture-in-Picture mode for various applications, it must first be enabled in the phone settings. On Android, the setting is available separately for each app. However, on iOS there is a global Picture-in-Picture setting that must be enabled.

To enable Picture-in-Picture mode on Android for Amazon Prime Video, open Settings on your phone and go to Apps. Under All apps, tap Prime Video. Look for the Picture-in-Picture setting. If you don’t see it, tap Advanced> Picture-in-Picture. Activate the toggle next to “Allow picture in picture” or “Allow permission”. In case it is already enabled, disable it and then re-enable it. Restart your phone.

Pro tip: You can enable Picture-in-Picture mode for the Prime Video app by going to Settings> Applications> Special Access> Picture-in-Picture> Prime Video.

To enable Picture-in-Picture mode on iPhone, go to Settings> General> Picture-in-Picture. Turn on the toggle next to Automatically start Picture-in-Picture. If you have a problem turning on Picture-in-Picture mode, check out our in-depth guide on how to turn Picture-in-Picture mode on or off on iPhone and iPad.

4. Use Picture-in-Picture mode correctly

Once the Picture-in-Picture setting is enabled, it’s time to use it properly. Do not worry. It’s not difficult, just that you have to take care of some things.

When playing a Prime Video video, press the home button on your phone (if available) or use the swipe gesture to go to the home screen. The video will automatically reduce to a floating window in a corner and keep playing when you do.

In case that doesn’t happen, you should check if the video is playing when you try to access the home screen. If the video is paused or has not yet started, Picture-in-Picture mode will not be activated.

Point: New to the world of Picture-in-Picture mode on iPhone? Check out our guide on using Picture-in-Picture mode on iPhone.

5. Update the application

The issue with Picture-in-Picture mode not working in Prime Video may be due to a bug in the app itself. So update the Prime Video app on your Android phone and iPhone from their respective app stores.

6. Clear cache (Android only)

On Android phones, you should try the classic trick of clearing the cache for the Prime Video app. Note that deleting the cache will not delete any personal data. Whether in other apps or in the Prime Video app. So your videos downloaded from Prime Video, profiles and others will remain intact.

To clear the cache of the Prime Video app, open the phone settings and go to Apps. Tap Prime Video. Then tap on Storage and tap on the Clear cache button. Restart the phone, then try to put the video in PiP mode.

Point: You can also clear data from the Prime Video app. However, this will remove all downloaded videos from Amazon Prime and reset the app settings to their default values.

7. Disable dark mode

This fix might sound a little strange, but there’s nothing wrong with trying it. Some Prime Video users have suggested that turning off Dark Mode on their phone and then turning it on again will make Picture-in-Picture Mode work well for all apps.

To turn off dark mode on Android, go to Settings> Display> Dark mode. On iPhone, go to Settings> Display & Brightness. Here you can choose between light and dark modes for your iPhone.

8. Uninstall the application

If things still don’t seem to be working, you need to temporarily uninstall the Prime Video app and then reinstall it.

To uninstall and reinstall the app on an Android phone, open Play Store and search for Prime Video. Tap the Uninstall button under the Prime Video app. Once uninstalled, search for Prime Video in Play Store again and install the app.

On iPhone, touch and hold the app icon on the Home screen. Tap the cross icon or the Remove app option to remove the app. To reinstall it, search for Prime Video in the App Store and press the Install button.

Pro tip: On iPhone, you can also unload the app instead of deleting it. This will preserve your app data.