Lyft gets picture-in-picture support on Android

Lyft has rolled out picture-in-picture (PiP( support to its Android app.

This means that you can keep using your phone’s other apps and features while Lyft remains open as a floating notification on every page. This window will show you car and driver information with a time estimate.

For now, Lyft is one of the few non-video apps to use PiP, including Google Maps. That said, Lyft’s PiP functionality is more limited than Google’s, as it does not provide any further information once tapped. According to a 9t05Google reader, Lyft PiP also doesn’t support tipping, instead prompting users to re-open the app itself.

However, that might soon change, according to XDA Developers‘ Mishaal Rahman. Last week, Rahman tweeted that Google is looking to expand PiP to support more than just video. In a mockup he shared, a Lyft PiP can be seen with buttons underneath the image of the driver and estimated time of arrival. Specifically, there appears to be buttons to call or message your driver or close the PiP entirely.

Google wants developers to use Android's picture-in-picture mode API for more than just videos. Technically, it can already be used for anything (see: Google Maps) but Google plans to make PiP windows even smaller but expandable by users (the latter is already implemented.)

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) July 17, 2020

That said, it’s unclear when this might roll out officially.

For now, you can experience PiP in its limited form on Lyft on Android.

Via: 9to5Google