Keep YouTube Playing in the Background on Your iPhone

Listening to YouTube audio in the background on iPhone usually requires a paid YouTube Premium subscription, but there’s a simple workaround that allows you to continue listening to videos while you’re doing other things on your iPhone or the device is locked. Read on to find out how it’s done.

As YouTube has grown in popularity over the years, Google has chosen to keep many of the video hosting service’s features behind a paywall, such as ad-free viewing, SharePlay on iOS and the ability to listen to YouTube audio on iPhone. .

Unfortunately, YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month to access these features. However, if you just want to listen to YouTube-hosted audio (such as podcasts, music, or lectures) while you’re using other apps or while your iPhone is locked and in your pocket, there’s a way to do that without paying a subscription fee.

The following steps show you how it’s done.

1. Launch Safari on iPhone and visit youtube.comthen search for the video you want to listen to.
2. Click the icon on the left in the Safari address bar.
3. Next, click more (three dots) button in the lower right corner and select Request desktop site From the pop-up menu.
4. Click the play button or click on the video to start playing, and ignore or ignore any pop-ups that encourage you to open the YouTube mobile app. (You’ll need to watch or skip some ads before the video starts.)
5. Now, use the device’s side button. The audio will be paused, but all you have to do is click Play Lock the button in the screen playback controls gadget to resume listening.

After following the steps above, audio from YouTube will continue to play on your locked iPhone as long as the video continues to play, allowing you to tuck the device in your pocket and listen with headphones.

Or, if you want to use another app while listening, just swipe up from the bottom of the screen to exit Safari, then use the media controls in iPhone’s Dynamic Island or Control Center to resume playback when it’s automatically stopped.