You're cooking. Or maybe you're at the gym. You find that perfect 2-hour lo-fi mix or a video essay about why the Bronze Age collapsed, and you just want to stick your phone in your pocket and get to work. Then it happens. You lock the screen, the audio cuts out, and you’re standing there in silence. It's frustrating. Honestly, it's one of the most annoying "features" of modern smartphones, designed almost entirely to nudge you toward a monthly subscription.
People ask how can i play youtube in the background constantly because the "official" answer—pay $13.99 a month for YouTube Premium—isn't always the right answer for everyone. Sometimes you just want to listen to a single interview while checking your emails. You shouldn't need a line item in your monthly budget for that.
The good news is that the "lock" isn't as tight as Google wants it to be. Whether you are on an iPhone or an Android, there are plenty of workarounds that don't involve "rooting" your device or doing anything shady. Most of them just involve using the tools already on your phone in a slightly clever way.
The Desktop Site Trick: The Oldest Play in the Book
This is the classic move. It has worked for years, and despite Google’s best efforts to patch it, it still holds up on most mobile browsers. If you open the YouTube app, it’s going to force those restrictions on you. But if you treat your phone like a computer? The rules change.
On an iPhone, open Safari. Go to YouTube and find your video. You’ll see a little "AA" icon in the address bar. Tap that and select "Request Desktop Website." The page will reload and look tiny and cramped, but that’s fine. Hit play. Now, swipe up to go to your home screen or lock your phone. The audio will stop. Don't panic. Swipe down to open your Control Center (or up on older iPhones) and you'll see a media player widget. Hit the play button there.
Magic.
Android users can do the exact same thing with Google Chrome. Tap the three dots in the top right corner and check the box for "Desktop site." Start the video, home screen it, and then pull down your notification tray to hit play on the media notification. It’s a bit clunky, sure. But it works when you’re in a pinch and don't want to download extra apps.
Using Alternative Browsers for a Cleaner Experience
If you find the desktop site trick too fiddly, you might want to look at browsers that were built with privacy and utility in mind. Brave Browser is the gold medalist here. It’s built on Chromium (so it feels like Chrome), but it has a built-in feature specifically for background play.
Inside the Brave settings, there’s literally a toggle that says "Background Media Playback." You turn that on, and you can play any video from any site—YouTube, Vimeo, whatever—and just leave the app. It keeps running. No desktop site request needed. It even blocks those mid-roll ads that ruin the vibe of a long podcast.
Firefox used to be the go-to for this on Android because you could install an extension called "Video Background Play Fix." It still works, but it requires a few more taps than it used to. Still, if you are a Firefox loyalist, it's a rock-solid option that feels more "pro" than the Safari workaround.
Picture-in-Picture: The Middle Ground
Sometimes you don't want the screen off; you just want to do something else. This is where Picture-in-Picture (PiP) comes in. On Android, this has been a standard feature for a while. If you have "Background play" enabled in your Android system settings, dragging up from the bottom of the screen while a video is playing will shrink it into a little floating window.
For iOS users, PiP was a "Premium only" feature for a long time, but YouTube eventually rolled it out to all US users (and is slowly expanding elsewhere). You have to enable it in the YouTube app settings under General > Picture-in-Picture. It doesn't allow you to lock your screen and listen, but it does let you browse Reddit or text your mom while the video plays in the corner.
Why Does Google Make This So Hard?
It’s about the "Watch Time" and the "View." To advertisers, a view where the screen is off is worth significantly less than a view where you are staring at the pixels. YouTube’s business model is built on your eyeballs. When you tuck the phone in your pocket, you aren't seeing the ads. By locking background play behind a paywall, Google is essentially asking you to pay for the "lost" ad revenue they would have gotten if you were watching.
There's also the music industry factor. Labels want YouTube to behave like a video platform, not a free version of Spotify. If background play was free for everyone, why would anyone pay for YouTube Music or Spotify? The friction is intentional.
The "Vanced" Void and New Alternatives
If you've been around the Android scene, you probably remember YouTube Vanced. It was the king of modified apps until Google’s legal team finally caught up with them. Since then, a few successors have popped up, like ReVanced.
These aren't available on the Play Store. You have to "sideload" them, which means downloading an APK file from a website and installing it manually. It’s incredibly powerful—giving you background play, no ads, and even "SponsorBlock" which skips the "this video is sponsored by Raid Shadow Legends" segments automatically.
However, a word of caution: sideloading apps carries risk. You have to trust the developers. For the average person who just wants to listen to a podcast while walking the dog, the Brave browser or Safari tricks are usually much safer and "cleaner" ways to solve the problem of how can i play youtube in the background.
The Most "Legit" Non-Premium Method: Telegram
This is a weird one, but it's a favorite among tech nerds. If you have a Telegram account, you can send a YouTube link to yourself (the "Saved Messages" chat). When you click the link inside Telegram, it opens in a built-in player. This player supports PiP and, crucially, it often continues playing even when you lock the screen or switch apps.
It’s a strange loophole. It works because Telegram uses its own media handling protocols rather than the restricted YouTube API found in mobile browsers. It's not the most efficient way to browse, but if someone sends you a long video and you want to listen to it on the go, it’s a brilliant "hidden" feature.
External Hardware: The Bluetooth Loophole
Believe it or not, sometimes your hardware can override the software. Some Bluetooth headphones and car head units have a "play" command that is more persistent than the phone's OS.
I’ve noticed that if I have a video paused in the YouTube app and I get into my car, hitting the physical "Play" button on the dashboard will sometimes force the audio to start even if the app is in the background. It’s inconsistent, and it depends heavily on your specific phone model and your Bluetooth version, but it’s a funny little glitch that works in the user's favor for once.
What About Third-Party "YouTube Clients"?
You’ll see apps in the App Store or Play Store promising "Background Player for YouTube." Be careful with these. Most of them are just "wrappers" for the mobile website, and many are riddled with their own ads that are even more intrusive than YouTube’s.
If you’re going to use an app that isn't the official one, stick to well-known open-source projects. For Android, NewPipe is the gold standard. It doesn't use Google Play Services, it's privacy-focused, and it handles background play and downloading like a dream. You won't find it on the official store, but it’s widely respected in the privacy community.
Actionable Steps to Start Background Listening Today
If you want to stop the "cutting out" right now, here is exactly what you should do:
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- For iPhone users: Download Brave Browser. Go to Settings, find "Brave Shields & Privacy," and enable "Background Play." It is the most seamless, "set it and forget it" method available.
- For Android users: Go the NewPipe route if you’re tech-savvy, or stick to the Chrome Desktop Site trick if you want something that doesn't require installing new software.
- Check your settings: Make sure Picture-in-Picture is toggled ON in both your phone's system settings and the YouTube app's internal settings.
- The "Control Center" Save: Remember that even when the audio stops after you lock the screen, 90% of the time, the "Play" button in your notification tray or lock screen will bring it back to life.
Background play shouldn't feel like a heist. While Google keeps trying to make the walls higher, the "Desktop" view and third-party browsers remain the most reliable ladders to get over them. Start with the Brave browser method first; it's the closest you'll get to the Premium experience without actually opening your wallet.