How To Play a YouTube video In The Background (Android/iOS)

Over the last few years, YouTube has been slowly replacing TV all around the world. One can watch pretty much anything on Google’s video platform; from The Late Night Show and Smosh to live news and a debate on healthcare.

There are some instances though, where a user might want to listen to a podcast or a music track, while simultaneously doing something else on his phone. He or she may even keep the phone locked while taking a stroll, without pausing the clip being watched.

So, without any further ado, we will be taking a closer look at a few simple ways of playing a YouTube clip in the background, both on Android and iOS.

From your browser

You can seamlessly play a YouTube video in the background from your browser. In this tutorial, we will be using Google Chrome and  Mozilla Firefox.

Google Chrome

The process is genuinely a piece of cake. Go to YouTube’s website on Chrome and then open up the video you wish to watch. Hit the menu tab in the top right-hand corner and click on the “Request desktop site” tab.

Once that is done, exit Chrome. Slide down the notification menu and you will see a new option, allowing you to either pause or play the YouTube video in the background. A similar menu will appear on your lockscreen, should you chose to listen to the clip with your phone locked.

You can close the video by hitting pause on the notification menu and swiping right on it.

Mozilla Firefox

The process is identical to Chrome.

In case YouTube videos automatically open via the app, go to Settings > Applications > Default applications> Default app selection > choose the Ask before setting default apps option.

Paid option

Another way of playing YouTube videos in the background is by purchasing a YouTube Red subscription, which will set you back $9.99/month. The particular service packs a feature dubbed ‘Background Play’, while also removing ads from videos.

App option

This option does not exactly let you play the video in the background, but rather lets you minimize the video to a movable pop-up window that can be dragged to anywhere on the screen. The app is called Awesome Pop-up Video and it’s free to download from the PlayStore.

Once you download the app, open it and search for the video you wish to watch. As seen in the top right-hand corner of the first image, users can watch videos from YouTube, Vimeo or any other platform.

As soon as the user taps on the video, the app will automatically reduce it to the aforementioned pop-up window, thus allowing you to watch the video while simultaneously doing something else on your phone.

You can maximize the screen size by hitting the full-screen button, or close the video by hitting the X button. While Awesome Pop-up Video is free to download, there are a few ads here and there, though they do not really compromise user experience.

If you encounter any problems while trying out any of the above or have a recommendation to make, feel free to shoot a comment down below.

Orestes Papanastassiou
Categories: Videos (web)
Tags: Android, iOS, YouTube