YouTube might be popular for its video sharing and streaming capabilities but it’s also home to tons of great music. A lot of people use YouTube for listening to their favorite music but certain limitations in the app are a hindrance in the experience. We are talking about YouTube’s inability to play videos in the background on Android. The official YouTube app does allow you to play videos in the background but there’s a catch. You need to have a YouTube Premium subscription. Unfortunately, YouTube Premium is not available in all the regions, and as the name suggests, it’s paid. So if you’re based in a country where YouTube Premium is not yet available, or if you don’t want to pay for the feature, you will need to install third party apps that let you play YouTube videos in background on Android.
1. YouTube Vanced
For those of you looking for a convenient and effective way to play YouTube videos in the background with the screen off there’s YouTube Vanced. A modified YouTube APK that includes a bunch of handy features that allow you to play YouTube videos in a pop-up window, customize the player to your liking, and of course, play videos in the background even with the screen off.
2. Free Music for YouTube: Stream
Free Music for YouTube: Stream is of the best third-party apps that allows you to play YouTube videos in the background. The app allows you to search for your favorite artists, create your own playlists, discover new music genres and browse the daily top charts, making it the perfect companion for anyone who uses YouTube as their primary music streaming service.
As the name suggests, Awesome Pop-up Video lets you play videos in a pop-up window. The app lets you play YouTube, Vimeo or any other videos from the web in a cool little pop-up. The homepage of the app shows you popular videos from YouTube and you can also search for videos on YouTube, Vimeo or paste a video link from the web, although videos from the likes of Twitter, Facebook aren’t supported. Once you play a video, the video opens in a popup with buttons to close it, maximize it or check playlist.
If you’re willing to pay to get the functionality you desire, you can also opt for YouTube Premium, provided it’s available in your country. YouTube Premium delivers an ad-free YouTube experience with additional features like the ability to download videos for offline viewing, access to YouTube Original content, access to YouTube Music Premium and, of course, background playback.
