You can find just about anything on YouTube, from how-to videos and TV shows to music videos and even full concerts. But it’s not all about the videos; sometimes, all you want to do most times is listen to some YouTube videos while multitasking on your phone or device.
Here’s the thing though, while, by the default, the video will stop playing if you close the YouTube app, there are a few simple tricks to keep it playing in the background on iOS and Android devices. You can have a miniature YouTube player pop up while you do other things. Here is a quick guide on how to set up background YouTube play on your iOS or Android device.
Overview
- To play videos in the background on Android, use the desktop version of YouTube in a Chrome browser.
- Use Picture-in-Picture (PiP) if you have Android 8.0 or later by going to Settings > Apps > YouTube. Under PiP, select Allowed.
- On iOS, install Dolphin for iOS or Opera for iOS, then navigate to YouTube and play your video.
YouTube Premium is the platform’s paid subscription service that includes all of YouTube’s bells and whistles.
You get the following benefits with YouTube Premium:
- Streaming without advertisements.
- The ability to play YouTube in the background while using other apps on iOS and Android.
- The ability to save YouTube content for offline viewing.
- An automatic YouTube Music Premium subscription.
Still, the most appealing feature of YouTube Premium is the ability to lock your screen while watching YouTube videos on your iPhone or Android.
After the one-month free trial, all of this will cost you $11.99 per month.
- Fire up YouTube on your device.
- Sign in to your account and select your profile at the top right corner.
- Choose Get YouTube Premium from the available options.
- Choose Try it for free.
- Tap Confirm after selecting a Premium plan (Individual, Family, or Student).
How to Watch YouTube Videos in the Background (iPhone Browsers)
But what if you want to watch YouTube videos on your iPhone without paying for Premium? This is where web browsers come into play.
While turning off the screen while listening to YouTube is not permitted in Safari or Chrome, it is possible to circumvent YouTube’s restrictions by using Apple’s Control Center in conjunction with certain other browsers. Firefox and Opera are two browsers that are unquestionably compatible with this method, and we recommend trying out any other iPhone browsers you prefer.
Here’s how to make this method work.
- Step 1: Open your preferred browser and navigate to YouTube. If Google redirects you to the app from Firefox, try directly entering youtube.com into the URL bar.
- Step 2: Next, look for the video you want to watch.
- Step 3: After you’ve found and opened your video, switch to the site’s desktop version. This varies depending on the browser, but it’s usually accessed by tapping the Options button in the bottom right, followed by a tap on the Desktop site option.
- Step 4: Begin filming your video. You may have to wait for the advertisements to stop.
- Step 5: Return to your home screen. Picture-in-picture (PiP) mode should be enabled for your video.
- Step 6: You can either leave the video playing in the PiP window and use your phone like you usually would, drag it to the edge to hide it, or close it by tapping the “x” button.
While this requires a few more steps, it allows you to play YouTube videos in the background on your iPhone without spending any money.
How to Watch YouTube Videos in the Background (Android browsers)
Playing YouTube videos in the background in Android can be accomplished in Firefox in a manner similar to that described above for iPhone. We tested this on Firefox, but it may also work on other, smaller browsers. However, it is unlikely to work on any browsers that use Chrome as their foundation, as Chrome has removed this option.
- Step 1: Launch Firefox as usual and navigate to the YouTube website. Enter youtube.com in the URL field, as tapping YouTube in Google search results will usually open the app.
- Step 2: Select the video you want to play in the background.
- Step 3: Tap the three dots in the window’s bottom-right corner to access the Settings menu. Then, select Request desktop site.
- Step 4: Begin watching the video and then swipe up to close your browser.
- Step 5: Your video should continue playing and appear in the notification shade.
How Do You Use Youtube’s Picture-In-Picture Mode on Android?
This one appears to be a bit of a sham because it isn’t an app at all. Since Android 8.0 Oreo, Android has supported “picture-in-picture mode,” which automatically opens a miniature viewing window if you navigate away from YouTube. This window can be dragged and tapped anywhere on the screen to enlarge or access playback controls.
This was previously only available to Premium subscribers. Still, in 2018, Google began offering picture-in-picture on YouTube to non-subscribers as well, as long as you live in the United States. However, it will not work with music-related content, so you will still have to pay for that.
It is pretty simple to determine which version of Android you have on most phones. Navigate to Settings > About phone > Android version to find out. You’ll need at least Android 8.0 Oreo for this feature, and since Oreo is more than five years old, you’re probably using a phone with it or something newer.
Use YouTube’s Desktop Mode on Android (Chrome)
To get YouTube to play in the background, use the desktop version of YouTube in your Chrome browser. This is how it works.
- To access YouTube’s mobile version, launch Chrome and type https://m.youtube.com.
- Typing a “m” in front of the YouTube URL, https://m.youtube.com ensures you can access YouTube from within the browser. If you want YouTube to play in the background, you must stay in the browser and not switch to the YouTube app.
- Look for the video you want to watch. Once you’ve found the video, select “Desktop Mode” by tapping the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
- After the site refreshes, click the play button to watch the video. Switch apps or put your screen in silent mode to stop the video.
- Swipe down to access the control center, and then look for the video in your settings. Play the video.
- Turning off your screen or switching to another app will not stop YouTube from playing.
How to Use Picture-in-Picture Mode on YouTube on iPhone
Similarly, picture-in-picture mode is available to all iPhone users with a YouTube Premium subscription. Non-premium US users can also access the feature. In other words, even if you don’t have Premium, all iPhone users in the United States can watch YouTube videos in a pop-up window when the app is closed. There’s nothing to it; start playing and return to your home page.
If the Workarounds Do Not Work, Subscribe or Download
Any workarounds that allow YouTube to play in the background may be removed at any time as YouTube tries to figure out how to close the loop. If you rely on this, you must subscribe to YouTube’s services.
YouTube has two subscription options. For $11.99 per month, YouTube Premium (previously known as Red) allows you to play videos in the background and gives you access to original video content. For $9.99 per month, YouTube Music is a music streaming service that allows YouTube videos to play in the background.
Another option is downloading the videos to your device and avoiding using the YouTube app entirely.
How do I save YouTube videos to my Android device?
If you have a Premium subscription, use the official YouTube app to download a YouTube video on an Android device. Locate the video you want to download and tap it. You can use a third-party app if you don’t have a subscription.
How do I make YouTube videos play indefinitely?
Open YouTube in a web browser to play a YouTube video in a loop. Loop the video by right-clicking or long-pressing it.
How Do You Minimize YouTube on Android?
On Android smartphones running Android 8.0 Oreo and later, you can minimize YouTube by enabling Picture-in-Picture mode.
How can I watch YouTube while also using other apps?
You can watch YouTube videos while using other apps by subscribing to YouTube Premium, playing YouTube in a browser, or enabling PiP mode.
How do I watch YouTube with the screen turned off?
A YouTube Premium subscription is required to watch YouTube with the screen turned off. On Android, you can use browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox, while on iPhone, you can use Safari and Opera.
Conclusion
If you want access to all of YouTube’s features, including playing YouTube in the background, you can purchase a YouTube Premium subscription.
If you’re among the millions of people who watch YouTube every day and want to watch videos in the background for free, you’ll need to use the desktop view on your browser or enable PiP mode, which has some limitations.
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