YouTube is the biggest music streaming service in the world, but it still doesn’t allow its users to listen to music and watch videos in the background unless they’re subscribed to Premium. As frustrating as it sounds, the platform offers many benefits to these users, but not everyone can afford a membership. With the guides we created, you’ll be able to listen to any video in the background and stay on track with the latest music content from your favorite artists and creators. If you’re not a Premium subscriber, we share a few simple tricks you can try to still listen to background content. Below, you’ll find out how to play YouTube in the background on Android and iPhone with ease.
And when you’re finished, take a look at our other YouTube guides:
Video playing in the background is available only for subscribers of YouTube Premium or YouTube Music (previously known as YouTube Red). These memberships are available both for Apple or Android devices. However, there are other ways to use YouTube in the background, but we’ll first talk about the easiest route to take.
Here’s what you should do to get a Premium membership:
Some Premium benefits include:
Although according to YouTube, the only way to enjoy videos in the background is via a paid subscription, we also found another way you can use this feature. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to enjoy the other benefits Premium has to offer, such as downloading videos, app-free listening, etc.
Here’s how to play youtube in background:
Remember that even if you have the auto-lock option on your phone or press the power button, the audio in the background will keep playing. However, there are instances when YouTube doesn’t work as a background app, even when people are subscribed to Premium. In that case, you’ll need to restart your phone or close the app because there aren’t enough resources for background play.
Now, if you want to skip splurging on membership, there’s another route to take, and it requires a few simple steps:
Android users with a Premium subscription service can use the same exact steps to listen to their favorite music in the background as iPhone users without adjusting any additional background playback settings. When they want to avoid paying for a subscription, this is the guide to follow:
This method will help you play YouTube content via the Chrome mobile browser, even when your lock screen is on. Here’s what you should do:
We hope these guides will help you play YouTube in the background on iPhone and Android with ease. If you have a Premium subscription or decide to purchase one, the procedure is so simple, and you don’t even have to adjust any settings. The background music becomes available the second your monthly subscription starts. If you want to skip the membership, you can use the other guides we listed to listen to background music for free.