There I was killing some time watching a U2 music video on YouTube, and the playlist that followed it was worth listening to, but I needed to compose an email and had to exit and forfeit my listening pleasure. I wished to play YouTube in the background, but couldn't because obviously, it is a video app and not like an audio app that's designed for background music playing.
YouTube has an amazing collection of music videos and music compilations. Along with the music, there are also great comedies and documentaries that you may want to play from YouTube in the background on your device, namely iPhone and Android. The problem is that YouTube is designed for watching, and if you swap apps to message or something else, the player pauses. YouTube did release a solution, but the YouTube music app requires you to pay a subscription to play background music
Part 1. The Way to Play Youtube in Background on iPhone
The easiest at the moment is using your devices' browser, and in the menu select request the desktop site. You then start the music video track and wait for the ad to play through, and then you can exit to home or recently opened apps. the road will pause but should be in your main dropdown menu It may only play the current track unless you have set up a playlist.
If your Safari browser does not work for this task, try these alternatives. Dolphin, Brave, Mercury Browser, Opera Mini, or Opera Coast. As not all work and it may be frustrating, there are a few third-party apps that can pull data from YouTube and do allow background playing. I'll cover a few of these apps like Tube Master, EverTube, Musi, MyTube, and YouTube++.
The browser method:
- In order to play youtube in the background on your iOS device, open YouTube in your chosen browser that works with this method (not the YouTube app).
- Select your playlist within YouTube.
- Start playing and make sure you wait until the advertisement finishes before you press the Home Button to look at other apps.
- Once the ad is finished, go ahead and exit via the Home Button.
- Open the Control Centre and press play in the applet in the menu or on your Apple Watch to have youtube playing in the background your iPhone.
- While using a different app on the iPhone, be aware that some games may hijack the audio channel for their use.
These steps can work the same for BBC iPlayer and other services such as Vimeo.
Five free 3rd party apps for playing YouTube in the background on iOS:
- Tube master (Free)
- EverTube (Free)
- Musi (Free)
- MyTube (Free)
- YouTube++ (Free)
Part 2. The Way to Play Youtube in Background on Android
So if your Chrome browser does not work for this method, try one of the alternatives like Dolphin, Brave, Opera Mini, Firefox, etc. Not all will work, so I've included a few third-party app options below.
The browser method:
- In order to play YouTube in the background on your Android device, open YouTube in your chosen browser that works with this method request desktop site from the menu (not the YouTube app)Select or create your playlist within YouTube.
- Start playing your first track and wait until the advertisement finishes before you press the Home Button.
- Once the ad is finished, go ahead and exit via the Home Button to look at other apps.
- Open the Control Centre menu and press the play button in the applet or on your Apple Watch to enjoy youtube playing in the background on your Android device.
- Be aware that some games may hijack the audio channel while you are using that other app.
Five free 3rd party apps for playing YouTube in the background on Android:
- NewPipe (Free)
- Flybe APK (Free)
- Audio pocket (Free)
- Tube Floating (Free with paid extras)
- Free music for YouTube (Free)
As YouTube pays for the content you watch or listen to, YouTube is actively trying to shut down all the avenues people use to play YouTube videos in the background. So for any users who don't have a YouTube red subscription, this will be progressively more challenging, which means that what works today may not be working next month.
You can join YouTube Premium . It will cost you $11.99 a month for a personal membership, or $17.99 for a family membership, at least there is a one free month trial to play youtube in the background without ads.
One thing about YouTube that you need to be aware of is the data usage as YouTube wasn't designed as a data-friendly music app like SoundCloud. But at least you get the original version on YouTube. So when you decide to play YouTube in the background on your iOS or Android device or your iPhone out and about on paid data, keep an eye on the usage.
