This article explains how to make YouTube play in the background on your phone. While this functionality is reserved for subscribers of YouTube Premium or YouTube Music, we point out a few ways to get around the limitation.

Use Desktop Mode on Android

An easy way to play YouTube in the background is by using the desktop version of YouTube on your Chrome browser. Here’s how it works.

1. Visit in Chrome and open the video you want to watch.

   The m is important if you want to make YouTube play in the background because it forces you to stay in the browser instead of redirecting you to the YouTube app.

2. Switch to desktop mode by tapping the three dots in the corner of the app and choosing Desktop site.

3. Once the site refreshes, press the start button to play the video.

4. Switch apps or return to the Home screen. Playback will pause (this is normal).

5. Swipe down from the top of the screen. You should see the media player. Press play to resume the video.

   In our tests, we had to be quick to resume the video or the playback controls would disappear. If this happens to you, return to the video, press play, and then repeat this step as fast as you can.

Picture-in-Picture View on Android

Designed to assist you in multitasking, Picture-in-Picture (PiP) is a feature available on Android smartphones running Android 8.0 Oreo and later. Here’s how to use PiP to play YouTube videos in the background.

1. Open Settings on your smartphone or tablet.

2. Tap Apps.

3. Scroll through the list of apps and tap YouTube when you see it.

4. Select Picture-in-picture at the bottom and then switch the toggle on to enable it.

5. To use PiP, start playing a video within the YouTube app, and then press the home button. The YouTube video will appear in a small window on your screen, which you can move around with your finger. It will continue to play as you open other apps.

Picture in Picture Mode on iPhone

Picture in Picture also works on iPhone. Just play the video from the official YouTube app and then lock your screen to make YouTube play in the background. Here’s what to do if it doesn’t work right away:

1. Play the video through the YouTube app.

2. Return to the Home Screen to force the app into Picture in Picture mode. You should see a small version of the video floating above your other apps.

3. As the video players, open Control Center by swiping down from the top of the screen, but don’t touch any buttons yet. The video should pause automatically.

4. With Control Center still open, use the playback controls there to resume the video.

5. Lock your device. The YouTube video should now be playing in the background.

Use an Alternative Browser

Another way to play YouTube videos in the background on your iPhone or iPad is by using an alternative browser, such as Opera or Dolphin. Here’s how:

1. Download Dolphin for iOS or Opera for iOS.

2. Visit in the app.

3. Search for the video you want to play on YouTube within the browser.

   It’s important that you stay in the mobile version of YouTube within the browser, and do not click on any YouTube link that will take you to the YouTube app on your device. The top of your search bar will say .

4. Play the video. Once it starts, switch to another app or lock your device. The video will stop.

5. Swipe down from the top of the screen to find the music player in Control Center, and check to see if the title of your video is showing there.

   Sometimes iOS defaults the media player to your music library in the music player, rather than the video. If this happens, simply go back to the video in Opera or Dolphin, and press play again to clear out the music player so that it defaults to YouTube.

6. Once the title of your video shows up in Control Center, press play to let the video play.

7. Put your phone back into sleep mode, or switch apps, and the video will continue to play.

If the Workarounds Fail: Subscribe or Download

Any workarounds that allow YouTube to play in the background could disappear at any time as YouTube finds ways to close these gaps. If you are dependent on this feature, you’ll need to subscribe to YouTube’s services.

YouTube offers two subscription services. YouTube Premium allows you to play videos in the background and comes with access to original video content. YouTube Music is a music streaming service that can make YouTube play in the background. YouTube Music is a few dollars cheaper than Premium.

An alternative is to download the videos to your device and avoid the YouTube app altogether.