How to keep YouTube music playing when screen turns off Android?
A common issue that many Android users face is that YouTube music stops playing when the device’s screen turns off or locks. This can be frustrating if you want to listen to music with the screen off, like when exercising, driving, or doing other tasks. The music suddenly stopping interrupts the listening experience.
By default, the YouTube and YouTube Music apps are designed to pause streaming media when the screen locks. This is likely an intentional decision by Google to prevent continuous music playback from draining battery life. However, there are ways to work around this limitation and allow YouTube or YouTube Music to keep playing with the screen off.
Explain the Default Behavior
By default, the YouTube app is designed to pause video and music playback when the phone’s screen turns off or locks. This is an automatic feature to help conserve battery life and data usage when the app is running in the background but not actively being viewed.
YouTube detects when the screen is no longer on and the phone is locked, and automatically pauses playback. This prevents video and music from continuing to run when you aren’t actively watching or listening.
While convenient in many cases, this auto-pause can be frustrating if you want to listen to music with the screen off, like when falling asleep. Luckily there are ways to override the default auto-pause using YouTube settings, third party apps, or adjustments to your phone’s screen settings.
Using a Third Party App
One of the easiest ways to keep YouTube music playing when the screen turns off on your Android device is by using a third party app. There are a number of apps you can download from the Google Play Store that will allow background playback of YouTube videos and audio.
One popular app for this purpose is BlackPlayer. This music player has a built-in option to play YouTube audio in the background. When you open a YouTube video in the BlackPlayer browser, you’ll see a “Play in Background” button. Tapping this will open the video audio in BlackPlayer and continue playing even when your screen is off.
The advantage of using BlackPlayer or a similar third party app is that they are designed specifically for background audio playback. Unlike the YouTube app, these apps are optimized to keep streaming audio even when not actively in use. So if you regularly listen to YouTube music and want a seamless experience, downloading a dedicated third party app is a good solution.
Using YouTube Premium
One way to enable background playback for YouTube videos is by subscribing to YouTube Premium. YouTube Premium is a paid subscription service that provides an ad-free viewing experience across YouTube, as well as useful features like offline downloads and background playback[1].
With a YouTube Premium subscription, you can continue listening to YouTube music and videos even when your Android device’s screen is off or locked. This is because background playback is included as part of the service[2]. So videos will keep playing in the background uninterrupted.
The main downside to this method is that you have to pay a monthly or yearly fee for YouTube Premium. But if you are a frequent YouTube user, the background playback and ad-free experience may be worth the cost.
Using Split Screen Mode
One way to keep YouTube videos playing when your Android screen turns off is by using split screen mode. This feature allows you to run two apps side-by-side on your device. Here’s how it works:
Activate split screen mode and open the YouTube app on one side. Start playing the video you want. On the other side, open an app that will keep the screen awake, like a game, reading app, or any active app.
Once both apps are running side-by-side, the YouTube video will continue playing even if you turn off the screen. This is because the other app is keeping the screen technically “on” even though it’s off. As long as split screen is active, YouTube will not pause playback when the screen goes dark.
The advantage of this method is you don’t need to download any third party apps or change device settings. To use split screen, make sure the feature is enabled on your Android device first. Then open the recents/multitasking view and tap the app icon above the YouTube thumbnail to activate it.
While not ideal, split screen does provide a handy built-in option for playing YouTube with the screen off if you don’t want to adjust system settings or pay for Premium.
Source: BUDAKSUNGAIBULOH57
Changing Phone Settings
One way to keep YouTube music playing when the screen turns off on Android is to change your phone’s settings to prevent the device from sleeping when media is playing. Here’s how:
Go to your Android device’s Settings app and select ‘Battery’. Look for an option called ‘Don’t sleep when media playing’ (may be called something slightly different depending on your Android version) and enable it. This will prevent your phone from going to sleep and turning off the screen when YouTube or other media is actively playing.
With this setting enabled, YouTube videos and music will continue playing even after the screen turns off. Just be aware that it may use more battery power since the phone is staying awake. You can toggle the setting off again if you notice excessive battery drain.
So if you want your YouTube audio to keep playing with the screen off, try adjusting your device’s sleep settings. Just go to Settings > Battery and enable the ‘Don’t sleep when media playing’ option. This way, the music won’t stop when the screen turns off.[1]
Using a Browser
One way to keep YouTube music playing when the screen turns off on Android is by using a mobile browser like Firefox or Chrome. Mobile browsers allow you to navigate to YouTube and play music videos or songs in the background even when your phone screen shuts off.
Simply open the YouTube website in your mobile browser, start playing a video or song, then turn off your phone’s screen or lock the device. The audio should continue playing from YouTube uninterrupted. This takes advantage of the fact that mobile browsers don’t restrict background playback in the same way the YouTube app does.
Firefox in particular is a good option as it allows full support for playing YouTube in the background. According to a Reddit user, “Brave and Firefox work well for background play and picture-in-picture mode.” Source
The benefit of using a mobile browser is that it avoids the playback restrictions placed on the YouTube app, while still allowing you to access all of your YouTube music ad-free and uninterrupted even when the screen shuts off.
Using Picture-in-Picture
One way to keep YouTube videos playing with the screen off on Android is to use the Picture-in-picture (PiP) feature. PiP allows you to watch YouTube videos in a small window while using other apps at the same time. The YouTube video will continue playing even if you turn off your phone’s screen.
To enable PiP for YouTube, first make sure you are updated to Android 8.0 Oreo or newer. Then open the YouTube app, start playing a video, and tap the PiP icon in the top right corner. This will shrink the video down into a small window that you can move around on your screen. The audio will keep playing even if you exit the YouTube app or turn off your display.
Some Android devices may need to enable PiP mode in the system settings first before it works properly with YouTube. You can also get third party PiP apps from the Google Play Store if the feature is not natively supported on your device (Youtube PiP Android).
The benefit of PiP is that you can continue listening to YouTube videos while texting, browsing social media, or using other apps. The video window persists over top of whichever app you have open. Just be aware that YouTube may disable PiP playback depending on your region and account status.
Using a YouTube Vanced
YouTube Vanced is a modded version of the official YouTube app that allows background play and removes ads. Vanced provides all the core features of YouTube Premium for free. To get YouTube Vanced:
- Download the Vanced Manager app from the Vanced website.
- Open Vanced Manager and install YouTube Vanced.
- Log into YouTube Vanced using your Google account.
Once installed, YouTube Vanced will play audio in the background when the screen is off or you switch to another app. Vanced also enables picture-in-picture mode. The mod is frequently updated to bypass new restrictions from YouTube. Overall, Vanced provides the best free experience for background play and ad-free YouTube.
Conclusion
There are several ways to keep YouTube music playing when your Android screen turns off. The easiest option is to sign up for YouTube Premium, which allows background play by default. You can also try using split screen mode or picture-in-picture to keep a mini YouTube player open. Third party apps like YouTube Vanced offer background play as well. If you don’t want to install new apps, you may be able to enable background play by changing your phone’s settings or using a mobile browser instead of the YouTube app. Overall, with a combination of YouTube features, phone settings, and third party apps, you should be able to keep listening to YouTube music even when your screen is off. Just be sure to choose a method that works reliably for your device.