YouTube background playback disabled? Try this app

No, it’s not your browser; it’s YouTube.

This week, the company confirmed that it is limiting playback for non-Premium subscribers. Apps that previously and reliably supported YouTube background playback in the past, including Brave, Vivaldi, and Microsoft Edge, now arbitrarily stop video playback when it is minimized.

This is not a bug, but a concerted effort by YouTube to keep the value additions Premium offers sacred. However, where there’s a will, there’s usually a way.

If you’re using an Android browser that supports extensions, you may be able to continue enjoying background playback for a while longer.

Unfortunately, only a few Chromium-based browsers support extensions, but Microsoft Edge Canary is a good shout. It’s fast and supports many add-ons out of the box.

You’ll also want to install an extension called Violentmonkey. It is a user text manager that I usually install before any other add-on, as it allows me to change the visual and functional aspects of my browsing experience.

Next, user script is required – and this is where things get complicated. I must remind you that there are bad actors out there, and installing user scripts has risks. I used a script called Disable Page Visibility API, which contains only 16 lines and works well; you can check it yourself before you install it. To install it in Violentmonkey, type Enter this script button on its Greasy Fork page. It’s worth noting that I chose user script only because Edge Canary extension support is limited.

Finally, you will need to check your work. At this point, it’s a good idea to restart the browser. Next, open YouTube, tap a video, and switch to another app. The video will pause after you change it, but you should be able to resume it using the Play button in the media player control notification or live notification on your phone. After this, the video should continue playing in the background until you pause it in the browser. Notably, it will continue to play while switching tabs.

The Page Visibility API allows sites to determine whether they are the active page in your browser or pushed to the background. It allows services like YouTube to find out if you watch videos. The userscript counters this. It’s not only useful on YouTube – this trick should work on Facebook, Instagram, and videos on many other sites.

Of course, this workaround isn’t a quick fix, especially if you’re not used to Edge Canary’s awkward extensions feature or installing user scripts.

It’s also important to note that YouTube background playback still works in other browsers. This is the best version of Mozilla Firefox without any extensions. Maybe my phone is blessed. If you find that Firefox on your phone refuses to play content behind the scenes, you can try the Disable Page Visibility API extension. Firefox also supports other YouTube extensions that achieve the same goal and allow for more customization.

Finally, this functionality is not possible in browsers that do not support extensions. This includes Google Chrome, Brave, and Vivaldi. And while Samsung Internet supports add-ons, none of them provide a workspace.

With YouTube struggling to play in the background, it’s unclear how long this app will remain active. Expect this to be squashed one way or another in the coming weeks. If you’re tired of hunting for tricks or want a healthy dose of extra features, subscribing to YouTube Premium might be worth it.