Play YouTube Videos in the Background: Here’s How

Many people love watching YouTube videos in their everyday life, but there is something almost all of the platform users complain about: the inability of playing a video while the phone screen is locked. Being able to watch videos with the screen turned off would solve problems such as you accidentally tapping around content while having the YouTube app going when your phone is in your pocket. That’s why, in this article, I’d like to tell you about ways in which you can play YouTube videos in the background.

There are essentially three methods you can use to stream YouTube videos in the background: accessing the platform with a web-browser, installing a third-party app, or paying for a YouTube Premium subscription. Let’s check them out.

Stream YouTube videos in the background through web-browser

Thanks to browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox, you can listen to YouTube videos while your phone screen is locked. This solution is especially indicated for music content, since you don’t need to watch the video to enjoy it. You can just let the video play while your phone screen is off without any worries that it will stop abruptly. Here’s what you should do to use this feature:

– if you haven’t already, install Chrome or Firefox on your Android phone (I’ll be using Chrome for the guide)

– once you do, go to the YouTube website via browser

– now, tap the three menu dots at the upper right corner of the screen

– select Desktop site; this feature will show any website you visit as it appears on desktop

– then search for the video you’re interested in

– play the video, and lock the phone screen

– when the screen is locked, you’ll see playback control buttons you can tap to play or stop the video, and also to go back and forth between videos

Install a third-party app to play videos in the background

There are apps that allow you to watch YouTube videos while using other apps in the meantime. An app such as Float Tube, for instance, will make a small video player appear on your screen. You can move the video player around (make it “float”), change its size and close it. Let’s see how it works:

– first, install the Float Tube app on your Android phone

– open the app, and you’ll find yourself in the YouTube homepage

– give Float Tube permission to display over other apps

– select the video you want to watch

– a mini video player will appear

– now you can let the video play in the background while using other apps

Note: the app doesn’t work when phone screen is locked.

Pay for a YouTube Premium subscription

If the methods above don’t do it for you, you can join YouTube Premium, which has the feature of playing videos in the background while your phone screen is turned off. But while the other solutions are completely free, YouTube Premium charges about 12$ a month for a subscription.

We can see why it’s not worth it: paying this much money doesn’t sound like a great deal if you’re only interested in the play-video-in-the-background feature. However, the choice is up to you. So, here’s how to turn your account into a Premium one:

– go to the YouTube app and log into your account

– tap your icon at the top right

– select Get YouTube Premium

– now tap TRY IT FREE to get a 1-month free trial

– lastly, you’ll have to enter your billing information; you’ll be reminded of the free trial expiration 7 days before it ends