{"id":58527,"date":"2022-01-03T18:01:02","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T10:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=58527"},"modified":"2022-01-03T17:57:02","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T09:57:02","slug":"youtube-background-without-premium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/youtube-background-without-premium\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Play Youtube in Background on Mobile"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am not alone when I say that once upon a time, I tried locking my phone\u2019s screen while playing music on YouTube, only for it to stop. Annoying, right? But when you think about it, YouTube is primarily a video sharing platform\u2026and you need to actually see<\/em> what\u2019s being shown, not just listen.<\/p>\n

But then again, there are podcasts, music videos, tutorials, etc. that don\u2019t really need a video.<\/p>\n

In which case, it\u2019s just a massive battery drain. And of course, because YouTube wants you to see the ads, hey!<\/p>\n

\"YouTube<\/figure>\n

Get YouTube Premium\u2026<\/h2>\n

Anyway, of course there\u2019s a solution to this conundrum.<\/p>\n

Obviously, you can sign up to YouTube Premium<\/a>, but a monthly expense of $11.99 might be a bit too pricey. Lucky for you, there are other available alternatives that you can avail of for a much cheaper price.<\/p>\n

\u2026Or, just a Safari Extension<\/h2>\n

Vinegar \u2013 Tube Cleaner<\/a> is a Safari extension for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that lets you navigate and surf online websites (including YouTube).<\/p>\n

Hoping to improve iPhone<\/em>, iPad<\/em>, and Mac <\/em>users\u2019 experience with YouTube, this extension functions as a replacement for the actual YouTube app.<\/p>\n

\"Vinegar\"<\/figure>\n

It includes several perks such as adblockers, picture-in-picture functionality, playing videos in the background, an audio-only stream, downloading videos, and preventing YouTube from tracking your activities.<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether you\u2019re on a YouTube website or YouTube videos embedded on other third-party websites, Vinegar works just fine.<\/p>\n

Is there a catch?<\/h2>\n

The Vinegar extension does have some limitations, as it doesn\u2019t have auto-generated subtitles. But with all the perks and features it provides, for a one-time purchase of $1.99<\/strong>, no hidden fees, or in-app purchases, there\u2019s not much to complain about.<\/p>\n

One important bit is that Vinegar does not collect any information from its users. Full stop.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be able to surf YouTube to your heart\u2019s content without having to deal with any annoying interruptions and whatsoever. Now that\u2019s a steal!<\/p>\n

Playing YouTube in the background<\/h2>\n

I\u2019m actually surprised this works, really. The alternative is to use Chrome mobile browser and request the desktop version of YouTube.<\/p>\n

The steps outlined below works for both iOS and Android, but refer to the screenshots after since the design is different.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open Chrome in iOS or Android and go to YouTube.com.<\/li>\n
  2. Tap on the kebab menu (three dots).<\/li>\n
  3. Scroll down until you see \u201cRequest Desktop Site\u201d for iOS or \u201cDesktop site\u201d for Android. Tap this option to enable.<\/li>\n
    \"Chrome<\/figure>\n
  4. Play the video you want.<\/li>\n
  5. Once the video is playing, there will be an advertisement (obviously) so wait for it and skip.<\/li>\n
  6. Once the actual video is playing, return to the homepage of your phone. At this point, the video will stop playing.<\/li>\n
  7. For iOS, when you return to your home screen, the player will still be active, so no further action is needed. Feel free to lock your phone..<\/li>\n
    \"Chrome<\/figure>\n
  8. For Android, when you\u2019re on your home screen, swipe down to open the control center. There you will see YouTube\u2019s controls where you can play the video again. Then just lock your phone!.<\/li>\n
    \"Chrome<\/figure>\n<\/ol>\n

    Does YouTube allow it?<\/h2>\n

    YouTube does not necessarily \u201callow\u201d these methods. They are just yet to pay attention to these \u201chacks\u201d. And of course, this post can be outdated next week or maybe even after 5 years.<\/p>\n

    Who knows? One thing is for sure, you don\u2019t need that YouTube Premium subscription just yet!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I am not alone when I say that once upon a time, I tried locking my phone\u2019s screen while playing music on YouTube, only for it to stop. Annoying, right? But when you think about it, YouTube is primarily a video sharing platform\u2026and you need to actually see what\u2019s being shown, not just listen. But…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3398],"tags":[321,3763],"topic":[],"class_list":["entry-content","is-maxi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Play Youtube in Background on Mobile - Hongkiat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I am not alone when I say that once upon a time, I tried locking my phone's screen while playing music on YouTube, only for it to stop. 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