
You do not need to be a YouTube Premium member to use picture-in-picture mode on Android. Be careful, though-just one taste of ad-free YouTube and you’ll never want to go back again. If you can find a way to justify the monthly subscription, YouTube Premium is a solid service. Obviously, $11.99 isn’t exactly cheap, especially if all you’re looking for from YouTube Premium is background play. Close the app, send a text message, turn the phone screen off-it doesn’t matter what you’re doing on your Android phone, since YouTube will continue to play. Of course, the best part of YouTube Premium is the ability to watch videos in the background of your device.

YouTube Premium also comes with a subscription to YouTube Music, Google’s Spotify competitor, that lets you build your library and automatically arranges daily mixtapes based on your taste. Offline play is included as well, with the option to download almost every video on YouTube to your phone in HD. No matter what device you watch YouTube on, you’ll finally be free from both pre-roll and mid-video ad breaks. For $11.99 a month, YouTube grants you access to a bunch of features you didn’t previously have, both on desktop and on mobile. Yes, the best way to play YouTube videos in the background is to sign up for YouTube’s paid monthly subscription, YouTube Premium. If you’re looking for the easiest method for streaming YouTube in the background or with your phone screen turned off, you’ll need to pull your credit card out for the privilege.

The Google-Approved Method: YouTube Premium Let’s look at how to play YouTube videos in the background on your Android phone or tablet.

Whether you want to listen to chillwave radio streams or just playback some classic music videos while you’re falling asleep, we have the guide for you. If you want to listen to YouTube videos-music or otherwise-there are a few options and workarounds you can try out.
