After years of watching competitors lead the way, Instagram is finally catching up by testing a Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode for its Reels. This long-overdue feature addresses one of the most common user requests, promising to bring a new level of convenience and modern functionality to the social media giant’s video experience.
The feature, which is being trialed by a limited audience, allows a Reel to continue playing in a small, floating window even after the user has switched to another application. This means multitasking—like replying to a text or browsing a website—will no longer require you to pause your video. It’s a standard feature on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, and its absence on Instagram has long been a point of frustration for many.
For content creators, this development is poised to be a significant advantage. By making video consumption more seamless, the PiP mode is expected to drastically reduce audience drop-off on longer videos, leading to higher overall watch times and more consistent engagement. Users will, of course, retain control and can disable the feature via a simple toggle in the Reel’s menu.
This modernization effort is complemented by another major release: a native Instagram app for the iPad. The new application is fully optimized for the tablet’s larger screen, providing a much more immersive and user-friendly interface for browsing feeds and watching Reels, marking a comprehensive upgrade to the platform’s usability.