Of course, you can let the video play on a phone or TV while you look elsewhere and listen to the audio. But we will focus on methods that allow you to turn off the display or switch to another task while the video plays in the background.
Using YouTube Premium
A YouTube Premium subscription is the most convenient (and official) way to play YouTube videos with the screen off. Background play is one of the key features offered in YouTube Premium, which allows you to minimize and play videos on any platform, mobile or PC. You must pay an annual fee for the YouTube premium subscription. Still, the benefits of YouTube Premium go beyond background play, so it can be a good deal if you consume a lot of YouTube content. Premium removes all ads, which is always better for listening to music or podcasts in the background. Otherwise, you would be assailed by constant ads that you couldn’t skip past. In addition to background play, YouTube Premium allows you to download videos or play them in Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. On mobile, you can also queue up videos, which is excellent for listening to a few hours of podcasts during work or your commute. Remember that YouTube Premium also gives you ad-free access to YouTube Music, so you can replace your Spotify subscription with this and not lose out on anything. YouTube Premium page.
Using the Mobile App With a Workaround
If you don’t want to get YouTube Premium, several workarounds are available. One method involves using the mobile app and tricking YouTube into leaving the video running without the screen. Sometimes, this does not work, so you must adjust your battery settings to ensure background apps are not paused. The Troubleshooting section provides more information on this.
Using Browser Methods on Mobile
If the previous trick didn’t work even with the proper settings, there are other ways to get around background play restrictions. One such method is to open YouTube in the Chrome web browser and switch to the desktop site. This method is usually more reliable for keeping YouTube running in the background than the app.
Third-Party Apps and Alternatives
The proliferation of ads and privacy violations by YouTube has prompted the community to develop several alternative apps and platforms to watch YouTube. These are usually more flexible, letting you watch videos with your display turned off without issues. YouTube Vanced was the most popular of these alternatives, getting downloaded by millions before Google put down its foot and development was halted. It doesn’t work anymore. The best current YouTube alternative is NewPipe. It’s free and open source, so it’s less likely to be shut down. It’s also a very robust app with a bug-free experience. It offers most features you would expect from YouTube Premium, including background play and complete adblock.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Apart from using YouTube Premium, all of the other methods are workarounds and don’t have a guarantee of working. Some methods might work for a while before crashing unexpectedly – and as these are unofficial methods, you cannot even report these as bugs. The most common problem is the playback pausing or the audio cutting out when the phone enters sleep mode after a period of inactivity. Here are some ways to fix this:
Adjust Battery Saving Settings
All phones have a screen lock feature that turns off the display after a period of inactivity to conserve battery. The way to fix this is to modify your Battery settings.
The exact option that controls background app activity is hard to point out as it differs between Android versions and even different manufacturers. You will need to hunt around a bit and disable the option that is responsible for restricting background app usage.
Turn off Notifications
Notifications can also throw off the background play, interrupting playback repeatedly. It is a good idea to turn off unnecessary notifications, at least while you are trying to listen to a podcast while not actively using the phone. You can also selectively turn off notifications for certain apps, allowing only the essential notifications while others are restricted.
Check App Permissions
Each app in Android has its own dedicated option to pause app activity when not used. Make sure to check the permissions for YouTube (and Chrome if you are using the browser method) and disable this to help the video run without an active screen.
Use a Third-Party App
We know this was already covered as a method, but it bears repeating. If you cannot get any workarounds running smoothly on your device, your best option would be to use a third-party app like NewPipe instead. As this is a separate app from YouTube, it’s not a trick that can stop working, and it has background play built-in as a feature.
Conclusion
The easiest way to “watch” a YouTube video with the screen off is to get YouTube Premium. This gives you access to background play, besides shutting down the advertisements you otherwise wouldn’t be able to skip past without a screen. Of course, free workarounds exist and can often give you the same experience with a bit of effort. Most of these tricks involve the mobile app, sometimes through the official YouTube app, and sometimes through the web browser or an alternative technique. Using a browser or the official app, the idea is the same – open a video and trick the player into keeping it running. Using a third-party application is less finicky, as they simply bypass YouTube’s UI restrictions and simply serve its content through the API.
