How to Play YouTube in Background

Using the YouTube Mobile App

If you’re using the YouTube mobile app on your smartphone, you can easily play YouTube in the background. To do this, simply follow these steps:

1. Open the YouTube app on your phone.
2. Start playing the video you want to listen to.
3. Press the Home button to exit the YouTube app. The audio will stop playing.
4. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. If you’re using an Android device, you can access the notification panel by swiping down from the top of the screen.
5. Tap the play button in the Control Center or notification panel to resume playback. You can now continue listening to the audio even if you switch to another app or lock your phone.

Playing YouTube in Background on Desktop

By default, you cannot play YouTube in the background on your desktop computer. However, there are a few workarounds you can use to achieve this:

1. Use a web browser extension: There are several extensions available for popular web browsers like Chrome and Firefox that enable background playback on YouTube. These extensions essentially trick YouTube into thinking that the video is playing in a visible tab, allowing you to continue listening to audio even if you switch to another tab or minimize the browser window.

2. Use a media player app: You can also use media player apps like VLC to play YouTube videos in the background. To do this, copy the video URL from YouTube and paste it into VLC’s “Open Network Stream” feature. Once the video is playing in VLC, you can minimize the app or switch to another window and the audio will continue playing.

3. Use YouTube Music: If you have a YouTube Music subscription, you can play music videos in the background on desktop by simply navigating to the YouTube Music website instead of the regular YouTube site.

Using Third-Party Apps and Extensions

There are many third-party apps and extensions that you can use to play YouTube in the background. Some popular options include:

1. Musi: This free app is available for iOS and Android devices and lets you play YouTube videos in the background as audio. You can create playlists, search for songs and artists, and even download content for offline playback.

2. YouTube Vanced: This is a popular modded version of the official YouTube app that allows background playback, as well as other features like ad-blocking and the ability to play videos in picture-in-picture mode. YouTube Vanced is available for Android devices only.

3. Stream: Stream is a browser extension available for Chrome and Firefox that lets you play YouTube videos in the background. It also includes a built-in ad-blocker and other features like customizable themes and the ability to create custom playlists.

Using Picture-in-Picture Mode

Picture-in-Picture (PiP) is a feature available on many devices that allows you to play videos in a small window while you continue to use other apps. Here’s how to use PiP to play YouTube in the background:

1. Start playing the video you want to watch on YouTube.
2. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen on your iOS device, or right-click on the video player on your desktop computer to access the context menu.
3. Select the PiP option to create a small window with the video playing inside it.
4. You can now switch to another app or window and the video will continue playing in the PiP window.

Note that PiP mode is not available on all devices, and may require the latest version of your operating system or web browser.

Workarounds for iOS Devices

iOS devices like iPhones and iPads do not natively support background playback on YouTube. However, there are a few workarounds you can use to achieve this:

1. Use the YouTube mobile app: As mentioned earlier, you can use the YouTube mobile app to play videos in the background on your iOS device. Simply start playing the video you want to watch, exit the app, and use the Control Center to resume playback.

2. Use a third-party app: There are several third-party apps available on the App Store that let you play YouTube videos in the background. One popular option is Musi, which we mentioned earlier. Another option is YouPlayer, which lets you create playlists and download content for offline playback.

3. Use Safari: You can also use Safari to play YouTube videos in the background on your iOS device. Simply navigate to the YouTube website, start playing the video you want to watch, and then press the Home button to exit Safari. Use the Control Center to resume playback. Note that this workaround may not work on all versions of iOS and Safari, and may require some experimentation.