One of the main new features of tvOS 14 is the compatibility with Google’s VP9 codec, which enables 4K streaming on YouTube for Apple TV users. However, although tvOS 14 is now available to the public, users are still unable to play 4K videos on YouTube with a compatible Apple TV.
As noted by MacRumors, the YouTube app on tvOS 14 still limits videos to 1080p resolution, so the 4K option doesn’t show up even with the latest version of the operating system installed. Meanwhile, Apple’s website still mentions that tvOS 14 supports 4K videos on YouTube.
The official YouTube support later confirmed on Twitter that users will indeed be able to play 4K videos on Apple TV with tvOS 14, but this feature is not yet enabled. Most likely the YouTube app will be updated to be fully compatible with tvOS 14, so users will have to wait a bit longer to get the 4K option.
Watch the latest YouTube videos in their full 4K glory. Your favorite music, slo‑mo, outdoor, and vlog footage never looked better.
In a related note, The Verge reported that YouTube has restricted the compatibility with the picture-in-picture feature on its website. Picture-in-picture lets you start playing a video and then close the app to continue watching it in a smaller window, and it now works with iPhone and iPod touch on iOS 14.
Sorry about the back and forth — jumping in to clarify that Apple TV 4K will support 4K playback soon. Stay tuned for an update here.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) September 18, 2020
As iOS 14 is now available to the public, YouTube has disabled PiP from its website, except for Premium subscribers or iPad users. You can still tap the PiP button on the YouTube website, but the system immediately closes the video.
Unfortunately, YouTube seems to have no plans to make picture-in-picture available to all users anytime soon.
If you tap to pull up playback controls, you should see a picture-in-picture icon in the top-left corner of your screen. Tap that, and the video briefly goes into its own window before returning to its usual spot on YouTube’s site. And if you try to go back to your home screen while watching a video in full screen, you’ll see that it briefly flickers into picture-in-picture mode before disappearing.
