logo
logo
Sign in

Simple YouTube Hacks: Continue Playing Videos In Background

avatar
Vincent Lago
Simple YouTube Hacks: Continue Playing Videos In Background

Which one of us doesn’t love YouTube? This is probably the most versatile and exciting platform that contains plenty of high-quality content from live streams to talk shows and music videos.

Millions of people use this service each day. However, with the huge popularity of portable devices, there is one problem that remained unsolved for quite a long time. We are speaking of the inability to keep playing music or videos from YouTube when you leave the app or lock your device. This was quite devastating for many users. However, now, there are a few easy hacks that solve the problem. Let’s look at some of the best of them!

Picture In Picture Feature

One of the easiest ways to play videos in the background is to use a special Picture in Picture mode. It basically works this way – a window with a video gets smaller and floats on your device’s screen while you interact with other applications. Unfortunately, this opportunity isn’t available for all users. For example, owners of Android-based tablets and smartphones or Mac users will be able to use it, while iPhone owners will have to look for other solutions. Also, it is worth noting that this feature isn’t available for music videos unless you buy a premium subscription.

How does it work? It is quite simple to enable this feature:

  1. Install YouTube app or, if you already have it, make sure it’s updated to the latest version
  2. Go to your device’s settings>applications>YouTube
  3. Scroll down until you see a switch that enables Picture in Picture feature and turns it on
  4. Now, to play videos in the background just start any of them from the app and press the home button – a smaller window should appear on your screen

Desktop Mode

Now, here is one more solution available for Android users. To use this hack, you will need to have the Chrome Browser installed on your device. While the mobile version of the website doesn’t support this possibility, switching to a desktop mode can do lots of help. Here are clear guidelines to follow:

  1. Go to Chrome and type the website’s address adding a letter “m” in front of it. This will keep you in the browser instead of redirecting you to the application.
  2. Find any video, and once you are on the needed page, click on three vertical dots to switch to the desktop mode.
  3. Then, play your video and lock the device (you can also go to the home screen or switch to another application). This will pause the video.
  4. When it stops playing, open the control center and press play to continue listening to it!

Although this hack is mainly used by owners of Android devices, iPhone users can also use it. The only difference is that you will need to install a different browser. For example, Opera or Dolphin should work! Once you install an alternative browser, follow the same guidelines, and you will be able to play videos in the background.

The Best Solution – YouTube Premium

Although all of the tricks mentioned above can be very handy, they might sound a bit too complicated for some users. Luckily, these are not the only ways you can play YouTube in the background!

If you really want to keep running your favorite shows, TV series or music videos while working on your tablet or phone but don’t want to use the hacks described above, we have an alternative solution for you! With the introduction of the YouTube Music app and Premium subscription plan, what has previously been impossible is now getting simple as never! 

Now, the platform itself allows users to keep videos running even from the lock screen. For $11.99 a month, you can purchase a subscription plan that gives a whole bunch of benefits. Most importantly, it gives you access to original content such as shows, series, and movies. Also, users can opt for a YouTube Music subscription that costs $9.99 a month and allows you to watch any videos or play music in the background. Thus, if you are looking for a simple solution, either of these two will be the best!

collect
0
avatar
Vincent Lago
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more