Apple’s Picture-in-Picture feature has been an attribute on Apple’s platforms for a few years now; it allows a single video to pop out as a floating window as the user browses the rest of the OS. If you’re an iPhone user, this feature is comparable to Apple’s FaceTime, where you can make the window of the person you are on call with smaller so you can keep scrolling on your phone while actively still engaging.
For the Apple TV, Apple appears to be working on upgrading this already powerful tool, especially for live sports matches you can watch in the Apple TV app. Steve Moser spotted the first signs of code references in the iOS 16.5 betas, describing a “Multiview” experience exclusive to the Apple TV app, capable of supporting up to four simultaneous streams, or a quad-box, at once.
Since Apple is reportedly in the running to not only buy Pac-12 football, but also basketball sports rights, according to World Soccer Talk. This would be a huge quality-of-life opportunity for the smart home hub.
The Apple TV app currently live-streams sports games including MLS Seasons Pass and MLB Friday Night Baseball, with rumors of more streaming deals coming in the future.
However, references to the multiview feature have existed in the iOS codebase for quite a while now, though the latest beta release contains a large amount of references, a possible indication that the feature might soon become a reality.
Multiview seems to be targeted mainly at sports streaming for now, and looks to specifically be an addition to the TV app, not a system-wide video player tool.
At this time, Apple has not officially announced plans for this feature, and there is a chance that it may never actually be released. Although the number of code references is increasing, there is no guarantee that the multiview feature will become available to us anytime soon. It’s projected to go live sometime during the iOS software update cycle, if Apple progresses on the feature’s development.