So you use your smartphone to listen to a lot of music or podcasts on audio platforms like Spotify, Jio Saavan, etc, and to videos also. If your answer is yes then you might be in search of how you can make that time more productive and use some other apps at that time as well, well we will tell you that. In this article, we bring you the top 6 ways to play audio or video in the background on Android.
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In This Article
A common method for all audio apps
Okay, so this method will work on all the audio streaming apps that exist whether the native music app or any other audio streaming app. Just follow the steps given below:
Step 1: Open any music app where the music is stored/available that you want to listen to.
Step 2: Just play the music on the app.
Step 3: Now that you have played the music, you just have to hit the home button on your phone or swipe up from the centre if you have enabled gestures, and that is it.
This method works on both Android and iPhones and with all the music apps, whether they are pre-installed or you download them like Spotify
Use YouTube premium
YouTube Premium is a paid service from YouTube that stops ads from coming in between your videos. It also opens access to exclusive videos on YouTube and allows for the downloading of videos in HD quality. Apart from these features, YouTube Premium also allows videos to run in the background. So if you have a Premium membership from YouTube then you are good to go. There are no steps involved in turning on this setting, it is enabled by default. Just follow these steps to run videos in the background from the YouTube app:
Step 1: Open the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device and log in with the account which holds premium membership.
Step 2: Play any video that you like and just hit the home button or swipe up from the bottom, the video will be played in the background.
And that is how you can run YouTube videos in the background with the official YouTube app itself.
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Use MX Player
MX Player is an audio/video platform player that lets you play locally stored media and also stream web series available on the platform. You can use this app to play videos and audio in the background. Just follow the steps given.
Step 1: Open MX Player on your phone
Step 2: Open Settings by tapping on the three-line menu on the top left of the screen.
Step 3: Scroll down and tap local player settings
Step 4: Scroll down and look for the background play option and check the option, and that is it. Now you will be able to run videos and audio in the background.
Use split or pip window mode
Another way to play video while doing your work is to play videos in either pip mode or split-screen mode. Both modes allow users to shrink the size of the window so that they can focus on other work while the video is playing. There are different ways for every phone to enable PiP and split-screen functionality so, just have a look on the internet and you are good to go.
Play YouTube videos in the background of your Android phone without using any app
Certain Android smartphones have a ‘background stream’ feature which is natively built into the sidebar. You can use this feature to play YouTube videos in the background. The only catch is that you won’t be able to see the video in PiP mode. However, it is ideal for listening to music on the YouTube app. Here’s how you can use it.
Step 1: Launch the YouTube app on your Android phone and play a video.
Step 2: Swipe open the sidebar and select Background Stream.
The video will start playing in the background.
Use Desktop Mode in Google Chrome
Another easy way to play YouTube videos in the background is by opening them in desktop mode on the Chrome browser. Simply follow these steps.
Step 1: Open YouTube in Google Chrome and play any video.
Step 2: Hit the ellipses at the top right corner of the screen.
Step 3: Hit Desktop Mode.
Step 4: Minimise the browser.
Step 5: Swipe down from the status bar and hit the Play button in the video player.
The video will start playing in the background.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I play YouTube videos in the background of my Android phone without using any app?
Some Android smartphones have a ‘background stream’ option on the sidebar that allows them to play any video in the background. You can also run YouTube in Desktop Mode on the Chrome browser and then minimise it to play the video in the background.
Which apps should I use to play YouTube videos in the background of my phone?
Apps like PlayTube, Playback, and ProTube let you play YouTube videos in the background of your phone.
How do I download a YouTube video on my phone?
Go to the SSYouTube downloader, paste the link to the video, and hit download in the results.
Conclusion
These are the top 6 ways to play videos and audio in the background of your Android phone. If you can manage the task natively, there is no need to install third-party apps and share your YouTube login info with them. If you know any other way to play videos and audio in the background of your device, let us know in the comments!
