Google looks like it’s getting ready to bring back a fan-favorite feature in its Messages app: the YouTube miniplayer. After quietly pulling the plug on it last year, the company seems to be rethinking things, aiming for a smoother way to share and watch videos right inside your chats.
The YouTube miniplayer let you play videos without ever leaving Messages without any app-switching or interruptions. First introduced in 2022, it vanished in 2024 with zero fanfare. Instead of watching videos in-line chatters were bumped out to the YouTube app. The reaction to its removal last year was a mixed bag. Some users didn’t mind heading straight to YouTube, but plenty missed the convenience of staying in the chat.
Now, fresh clues from recent app teardowns by researcher AssembleDebug at Android Authority point to the feature making a potential comeback. Code spotted in the latest beta builds hints that Google could be working on a new and improved picture-in-picture player for YouTube links inside Messages. Specifically, Messages beta version 20250319 reveal strings of code that refer to YouTube in particular.
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This lines up with YouTube’s own miniplayer redesign from late 2024, which added better resizing, repositioning, and multitasking. AssembleDebug was able to bring back the picture-in-picture player in Messages using an activity toggle, but videos did not play when tested. This does make it seem more likely, however, that the intention is to restore functionality.
Google’s move to bring the player back shows they’re listening to user feedback. There’s no official word on when the feature could roll out for everyone, and it’s still unclear if you’ll be able to turn it off if you’d rather open videos externally.
For millions of Android users who rely on Messages to juggle conversations, this is one of those small updates that could make things feel a bit more effortless, so it’s something to keep an eye on. With the recent switch to RCS messaging, it could be one of many changes to make the app sweeter, like the recent update that lets you unsend messages.