YouTube Music is one of the best platforms for enjoying music and podcasts, but can YouTube Music play in the background? Yes, it can, but only if you have a YouTube Music Premium account. This limitation frustrates many users. Without a Premium subscription, your music or podcast stops playing as soon as you lock your screen or switch to another app. This can be particularly inconvenient when you are multitasking, trying to conserve battery, or simply want to enjoy your content without interruptions.
But don't worry, whether you're a YouTube Music Premium subscriber or a free user, there are ways to make YouTube Music play in the background. In this guide, we'll explore how to keep YouTube Music playing in the background for all users, no matter your subscription status.
Part 1. How to Play YouTube Music in the Background with Premium
With a YouTube Music Premium membership, you gain access to a world of music and podcasts, all while enjoying uninterrupted playback even when your screen is off. This premium feature makes multitasking easy and ensures your music or podcast keeps going without interruption. Here's a quick overview of what YouTube Music Premium offers:
Key features of YouTube Music Premium:
- Ad-free listening for uninterrupted enjoyment
- Background play
- Offline downloads
- Audio-only mode (conserve battery life)
- High-quality audio
- Smart downloads based on your listening history
- Extensive catalog
Read More : Latest Guidance to Get YouTube Premium for Free Forever
Using YouTube Music Premium for Background Playback:
YouTube Music Premium offers the fantastic convenience of background playback with the screen off. Keep in mind that background playback with the screen off relies on a stable internet connection. Now, let's walk through the steps to play music in the background on your phone with your YouTube Music Premium subscription.
Step 1Select Your YouTube Music
- Open the YouTube Music app on your phone.
- Use "Explore" to search for your preferred music, artist, or playlist within the YouTube Music app. Alternatively, go to "Library" and navigate to the song, playlist, or album.
- Once you've found your music, tap the play button to start playback.
Step 2Enable Background Playback
You can now turn off your device's screen, and the music will continue playing in the background without interruption.
Step 3Manage Background Playback
To manage your music while it's playing in the background, use the lock screen controls or the notification panel to pause, skip tracks, or adjust the volume without unlocking your phone.
Part 2. How to Play YouTube Music in the Background without Premium
If you don't have a YouTube Music Premium subscription, there are still ways to enjoy background playback. While YouTube Music restricts this feature for free users, we'll show you two practical methods that can help you keep your music playing in the background on Android and iOS devices. These solutions will enhance your listening experience, whether you're multitasking, conserving battery, or just want continuous playback.
Method 1: Using Browser Tricks (for Android/iOS)
Some users without YouTube Music Premium subscription opt for browser tricks to enable background playback on YouTube Music. You can try this browser trick:
How to Play YouTube Music in Background on Android:
On Android, the Chrome app has a handy desktop-site option that can unlock background playback for YouTube Music without needing a Premium subscription. It takes a few steps, but it works.
Open the Chrome app on your Android phone.
Go to music.youtube.com.
Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
Scroll down and enable Desktop site. The page will reload in desktop mode.
Find the song or playlist you want and start playing it.
Go back to the home screen or turn off your screen. The music may pause at first.
Swipe down to open the notification panel and tap the Play button in the Chrome media controls to resume playback.
How to Play YouTube Music in Background on iOS:
If you're on an iPhone or iPad, Safari offers a similar workaround using the desktop version of the site.
Open the Safari app.
Go to music.youtube.com.
Tap the AA icon on the left side of the address bar.
Select Request Desktop Website. The page will reload.
Play your music or video.
Swipe up to leave Safari or lock your screen. The audio may pause.
Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner and tap Play to continue background playback.
This browser trick usually works, but if the audio keeps stopping, your phone may be restricting the browser from running in the background.
- On Android: Go to Settings > Apps > Chrome > Battery, and make sure background activity is not restricted. This allows Chrome to keep playing audio even when it's not on screen.
- On iOS: Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, find Safari, and make sure it's turned on.
[Video Tutorial] How to Play YouTube in the Background
Method 2: Using ViWizard YouTube Music Converter (for Computer, Android, iOS)
If you want YouTube Music to play in the background on any device without paying for a Premium subscription, ViWizard YouTube Music Converter can help. It lets you download songs, albums, and playlists from YouTube Music and save them in common formats such as MP3, FLAC, M4A, M4B, WAV, AIFF, while keeping full ID3 tags and allowing you to choose the audio quality you want.
Once converted, you can listen to your YouTube Music tracks directly on your computer or transfer them to your phone and play them with Apple Music or any other music player. You can also move the files to Bluetooth speakers or other audio devices. There are no playback limits, and you don't need a Premium subscription.
Key Features of ViWizard YouTube Music Converter
Free Trial Free Trial* Security verified. 5, 481,347 people have downloaded it.
- Built in YouTube Music web player included
- Download unlimited songs, albums, playlists, and artists from YouTube Music
- Convert music from YouTube Music to FLAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, M4A, and M4B
- Keep full metadata information for each YouTube Music track
How to Download YouTube Music Songs Using ViWizard
Step 1Set the Output Settings
Open ViWizard YouTube Music Converter. Click the menu icon (☰) and select Preferences. Under the Conversion tab, choose your preferred output format, such as MP3, from the drop-down menu. You can also adjust the bitrate, sample rate, and select an output folder. Click OK to save your settings.
Step 2Open the YouTube Music Player in ViWizard
Return to the main interface of ViWizard. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where you'll see a large YouTube Music button. Click it to open the built-in YouTube Music web player.
Step 3Select Songs or Playlists to Download
Browse or search for the songs or playlists you want. Once you find them, click the green Plus (+) button in the corner. A pop-up window will appear, allowing you to select individual tracks or choose Select All. Click Add to List to add them to the conversion queue.
Step 4Start the Conversion
Go to the conversion list and click Convert. ViWizard will begin downloading and converting the selected tracks at high speed. When the process is complete, you can play the songs directly within the program or click the folder icon next to a track to open the output folder you set in Step 1.
Once downloaded, you can play the files with the default media player on your computer or transfer them to your Android or iOS device using a USB cable, cloud service, cloud drive, or AirDrop. After that, you can listen to your music in any media player you like, most of which support background playback.
Part 3. How to Play YouTube Music Podcasts in the Background without Premium
YouTube Music offers podcasts, and the great news is that you can enjoy them without a premium subscription. U.S. users, in particular, can stream YouTube Music podcasts in the background while multitasking or even with the screen locked. In this section, we'll walk you through how to listen to YouTube Music podcasts with background playback, regardless of whether you have a premium subscription.
Step 1Select Your YouTube Podcasts
- Open the YouTube Music app on your phone. Ensure that you are signed in to your Google account.
- On the "Home" tab, tap "Podcasts" at the top of your home screen to access the available podcasts. Alternatively, go to "Library" and use a category filter labeled "Podcasts."
- Tap on the podcast you want to listen to in the background.
- Browse through the list of podcast episodes and play the one you want to listen to.
Step 2Start Screen Off Playback
You can safely minimize the YouTube Music app or lock your device, and the podcast will continue playing in the background without interruptions.
Step 3Manage Background Playback
Feel free to open other apps, browse the web, or even lock your device. Most podcasts are available for background play regardless of your membership status, allowing you to multitask and make the most of your listening experience.
Part 4. FAQs about Playing YouTube Music in the Background
Why isn't my YouTube Music playing in the background?
If you don't have a YouTube Music Premium subscription, the app will stop playing music when you switch to another app or lock your phone. To keep your music playing in the background, you can use browser tricks or tools like ViWizard YouTube Music Converter, which allows offline playback.
How can I enable background playback on Android or iOS?
On Android and iOS, you can keep YouTube Music playing in the background by locking your screen or switching to another app, as long as the app is functioning correctly. Make sure your device's settings are optimized for background playback and keep a stable internet connection.
Why does my YouTube Music stop playing in the background after a while?
If you are using YouTube Music without a Premium subscription, background playback may be limited due to your phone's settings or app restrictions. Try using a browser-based solution or a third-party tool like ViWizard YouTube Music Converter to keep your music playing continuously.
Why am I hearing ads during playback?
Free YouTube Music accounts are supported by ads, which play between songs. These interruptions can be avoided by subscribing to YouTube Music Premium, which offers an ad-free listening experience.
Conclusion
To sum it up, whether you have a premium subscription or not, there are ways to enjoy background playback of YouTube Music and Podcasts: With YouTube Music Premium, you get uninterrupted background play and other perks. For those without a premium subscription, tools like ViWizard YouTube Music Converter offer a workaround to download music and enjoy background playback. U.S. users can play YouTube Podcasts in the background without a premium subscription in the YouTube Music app.
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Matt Smith, a digital entertainment industry enthusiast at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing insightful commentary and solutions for music and media-related topics, including industry trends, analysis, and recommendations.
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