Xiaomi and Redmi smartphone owners often face the need for multitasking mode, when you need to simultaneously watch video and chat in messengers or check email. The MIUI shell, and now HyperOS, has powerful functionality for managing windows, but by default some settings can be hidden or disabled to save battery life. Picture-in-Picture mode is exactly the feature that allows you to play content on top of the interface of other applications, turning the screen into a multitasking workstation.
However, the implementation of this process on Xiaomi devices has its own unique features, different from pure Android. Users often complain that when you fold YouTube or online cinema, the video simply stops, instead of “surfacing” in a floating window. This is due to the aggressive optimization of background processes, which is characteristic of MIUI 12, 13, 14 and HyperOS. To get around these restrictions, you need to properly configure access rights and special features of the system.
In this guide, we will take a closer look at how to activate video display over all windows, what system permissions are required, and how to solve typical player freeze problems.We will look at both the built-in Android tools and the specific settings for video aggregator applications that are often used on Chinese brand smartphones.
Activation of the Picture-in-Picture system mode
The basic floating window feature is built into the Android core starting with version 8.0, but on Xiaomi smartphones it requires manual activation for each specific application. Without this step, the system will force the video stream to close when switching to another screen, considering it a background process that does not require CPU resources.
Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management. At the top of the screen, find three dots or menu icons and select “Special Features” (or “Special Features”). This lists all the apps that can use the PiP feature. Find your video player (such as YouTube, VLC, MX Player or Chrome browser) and make sure the switch is activated. If this is not the option, try clearing the Security app cache.
It is important to understand that even with the switch on, some applications may ignore the fold command if they are optimized to work in the full screen. In such cases, using navigation gestures instead of on-screen buttons helps. A bottom-up swipe with a delay or a special home gesture often initiates a transition to floating window mode more successfully than a standard fold button.
⚠️ Note: Some global versions of the firmware MIUI The option "Special Opportunities" can be hidden, so use the settings search by typing "PiP" or "picture in picture».
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If the standard method does not work, try in the battery settings for the video player to select the mode "No restrictions" so that the system does not "kill" the playback process when folding.
Setting up a floating window through the Notification Curtain
Xiaomi’s shell offers an alternative and often more reliable way to run video over windows, through a control center or notification curtain, a technique that is particularly relevant for embedded video players and some third-party apps that are not friendly with the standard Android PiP. The essence of the method is to force the window to run through the system service, bypassing the standard application API.
To do this, run the video in any app. Without folding it, lower the top notification curtain. In the active notification list, find the card of the running video player. In the upper right corner of this card, there is often a small icon that resembles a square with an arrow or just an "unfold" icon.
If there's no such icon in the curtain, try to pinch the video notification itself. The context menu that appears may have a floating window or a pop-up window. This is particularly effective for Mi Video and browsers. You can control the size of the window by dragging it around corners, and you can also change the transparency to see what's going on under the video.
- 📱 Open the video and lower the notification curtain.
- 🔍 Find an active player notification.
- 🖱️ Click on the special extension icon or press the notification.
- 📺 Adjust the window size with your fingers on the screen.
Use of the "Sidebar" (Video Toolbox) function
One of the most useful features of MIUI and HyperOS is the Video Toolbox, which allows you to call a floating window with video from the sidebar, even if the application itself does not support native PiP mode. This solution is ideal for online cinemas and streaming services that block standard folding.
To activate this feature, go to Settings → Special Features → Video Panel. Turn on the switchboard and in the list of applications that appear, mark the ones where you plan to watch videos (browsers, players, streaming), then, when you start the video horizontally, a transparent shortcut will appear on the side of the screen, and the swipe will open a menu from it where you can select “Floating window”.
What's unique about this is that it creates a system floating window that doesn't depend on the application itself to support the function. You can watch a movie from your browser and flip through the social network feed in parallel. What's more, the video panel allows you to take screenshots, record the screen and change the white balance right while you're watching it without interrupting the playback.
| Function | Standard PiP | Video panel (Video Toolbox) | Notification curtain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browser support | Partial | Complete. | Depends on the version. |
| Size management | Yes. | Yes. | Limited. |
| Additional functions (screenshot) | No. | Yes. | No. |
| Stability of work | Tall. | Medium | Tall. |
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The video panel is an exclusive feature of Xiaomi that bypasses the limitations of apps that do not support the native “picture in picture” mode.
Solving YouTube problems on Xiaomi
YouTube deserves special attention, as Google’s policy limits the work of the background and PiP for users without a Premium subscription. On Xiaomi smartphones, this restriction is often exacerbated by aggressive energy saving. However, there are proven ways to bypass the lock and watch videos on top of other windows for free.
The first and easiest way is to use a browser: Start Google Chrome or Mi Browser, go to YouTube and open the video you want. In your browser settings, be sure to select the desktop site. After you start the video, turn off the browser - thanks to the PiP system settings described above, the video should continue to play in a floating window.
The second is the official app. In some regions and versions of the YouTube app, PiP is free if enabled in the settings of the YouTube app itself (Settings → General → Picture in Picture). If the toggler is gray or missing, then your account or region does not support this feature and you will have to use the browser method or third-party clients.
⚠️ Note: Using modified versions of YouTube (such as Vanced or ReVanced) to obtain Premium Features may violate Google's terms of service.
Why does YouTube stop when the screen is off?
Set up third-party video players
To play local files or IPTV streams, users often choose third-party solutions such as VLC for Android, MX Player or NX Player. These apps have their own, more flexible overlay settings that can conflict with or complement Xiaomi's system settings. The correct player configuration ensures that the video does not "fall" into the background.
In the MX Player settings, you need to go to the Player section and find the Hardware Accelerator option. It is recommended to try switching modes (HW+, SW), since they work differently on Snapdragon and MediaTek processors, and the Screen section should also have the “Leave on” tick tick and, if any, the “floating window” option active.
VLC for Android requires permission to “display on top of other applications.” When you first run the player will ask for this permission. If you did not request, find the “Special features” section in the Android settings (as described in the second section) and manually give access to VLC. Without this right, the player will simply pause the video when you fold.
- 🎬 Install your preferred player from Google Play.
- ⚙️ Give permission to “Above Other Windows” in Android settings.
- 🔋 Turn off energy savings for this app.
- ▶️ Check the work of the folding in horizontal mode.
☑️ Checklist of player settings
Optimizing battery and background processes
The main enemy of floating video on Xiaomi is the power saving system. MIUI and HyperOS aim to shut down any process that is not in active focus to extend battery life.This leads to the fact that the video in the small window can just "fall asleep" and stop loading the buffer.
To prevent this, find your video app in the installed program list (Settings → Apps → All Apps). Go to Energy Saving and select No Limits mode, a critical step that prevents the system from killing the playback process even if you have folded the application.
It's also worth checking your autostart settings. While this is less critical for video than for instant messengers, allowing autoruns can help the player recover faster after a fold. Remember to periodically clean the video app cache, as accumulated temporary files can slow down the overlay and cause sound to be desynchronized.
If the video is still interrupted, try turning off Memory Extension if it is activated on your device. Virtual memory generated by the drive sometimes runs slower than physical RAM, causing slowdowns when switching between heavy tasks and video stream.