YouTube has made it clear that playing videos in the background without a subscription is no longer possible.
Background play is a feature offered only in YouTube’s Premium plan, which allows videos to keep playing even when the screen is off or another app is used.
Previously, some users were able to use this feature for free through certain tricks. However, YouTube has now strictly blocked these methods, affecting millions of users.
If someone without a Premium subscription tries to play a video in the background, it will stop as soon as the screen is turned off or the browser is minimized.
How Users Were Playing Videos in the Background
Many users accessed background play for free using third-party browsers like Samsung Internet, Edge, and Vivaldi.
These browsers allowed videos to keep playing when minimized, effectively letting users use a Premium feature without paying.
YouTube has been monitoring this for some time and has now fixed the issue. Clearing the browser cache or changing the picture-in-picture settings no longer works.
Google, YouTube’s parent company, has confirmed that background playback is now strictly limited to Premium users.
