Hi. I would like to turn off the picture-in-picture feature of Apple TV as I find it obstructs my view of the screen when I check the video timeline. Anybody know how to do this? Here is what is looks like if you don't know what I'm referring to: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210525
Apple TV 4K
From the article to which you linked:
Press Apple TV App/Homeon your Siri remote to show the picture-in-picture options menu. Use the Touch surface to swipe between options.
Select Full-screen to move your video window back to its full size.
Highlight Move, then click the Touch surface until the video window is in the corner that you want.
Click Close if you're finished watching your video.
(Bold mine)
So, that would be the PIP icon as noted in my initial response, not the thumbnail nor the PIP feature itself.
That icon is there in order to invoke the PIP feature and cannot be removed. However, you are free to give feedback.
When checking the timeline, it will merely show the icon for PIP, along with a thumbnail for the current position. In order to invoke PIP a user would have to swipe up and click on the remote's touchpad. If a user doesn't have any further interaction, the timeline and those other assets will disappear after a few seconds.
No, that is not correct. The thumbnail and PIP are two separate and distinct things. As strictly stated in the article "Use picture-in-picture viewing to play two videos at once, or browse the Apple TV app while a video plays in the corner of your screen"
The thumbnail is simply an image that pops up to show the current position when paused or while scrubbing the timeline. If one just taps on the remote touchpad during viewing then it will not bring up the thumbnail, only the progress bar and the icon to invoke PIP, and it will disappear after a few seconds.
That doesn't answer the question and merely repeats what is posted in the Apple Support link I gave. I didn't ask how to manage the prompt, rather I asked for the feature to be disabled so it never pops up!
Yes, that description is correct but that doesn't solve the problem: I don't want to see the thumbnail at all, as stated in my first post. It is especially obtrusive when there are subtitles that are obscured and then I have to rewind to see what was said.
No... in my experience, it does not alway "disappear after a few seconds". More than half the time I have to swipe up to highlight the icon, then swipe down again (and wait a few seconds longer) for it to disappear.
It's amazing how much trouble one little icon can be.
First, the icon *annoyingly* (and unnecessarily) pops up every time I interact with the remote. Since I have no desire or need to use "PiP", why should I have to deal with this at all?
Second, for my own reasons, I always use subtitles. The PiP icon obstructs the subtitles, often forcing me to "rewind" in order to read them. And then I have to contend with the icon being in the way again if I didn't rewind far enough and get the icon out of the way fast enough.
Third (related to the previous), on more than one occasion, while trying to wrestle the PiP icon out of the way, I've managed to evoke PiP instead, which is disruptive to my viewing experience. This is the antithesis of what I've come to expect from Apple's UI/UX.
Finally, why is this icon being imposed on the user to begin with? Of course it should be optional! In my view, it's an awful interface "kludge". Move it to the corner of the screen if it MUST be there. Not large and smack in the middle of everything?
Otherwise, it remains a real-time imposition and diminishes my viewing experience.
Thank you.
Then that indicates an issue with your unit. It consistently disappears after a few seconds on my system. When I’m viewing I don’t typically interact with the remote. When viewing subtitles and bringing up the timeline and icon I would note that the progress bar is more in line with their placement.
In order to invoke PIP it requires not only swiping up but also pressing down on the touchpad to select it. During testing that was not possible to do accidentally and required the intention to do so. The icon is there to enable PIP, which is optional. If a user does not wish to use it then they simply need not invoke it.
However, as already stated you are free to give feedback to Apple. This is a user forum so stating those things here will not be read by anyone else.
So, you're saying that, when you close the video, it doesn't go away?
I am not saying that. I am asking for the option to not see this feature present itself at all, at any time.
PIP, correct. No, the thumbnail appears when I tap on the remote pad to bring up the timeline while the video continues to play. I don't need to pause it to bring it up.
The PIP icon, as shown in the below photo, is what I never want to see upon tapping the touchpad to bring up the timeline, but not pressing the touchpad to pause.
Your post refers to PIP only, and you also linked to an article that is specifically related to that feature. The thumbnail has nothing to do with that, is not a separate feature, and has always been part of the video player. However, it will only appear when paused so it isn't going to obscure subtitles when one is viewing content.
In the event that a user does pause then it will disappear after a few seconds unless a user continues to interact with the remote.
How to turn off picture-in-picture on Apple TV?
