How to Play YouTube Music in the Background (3 Ways Updated)

Most music apps let you play music in the background, such as YouTube Music. However, background playback was only available with a YouTube Music Premium account. Here we’ll look at the steps for playing music on Android and iPhone with your Premium account. For free users, we will also share how to play YouTube Music in the background without Premium. Let's dive in!

Contents Guide Method 1. Play YouTube Music in the Background with PremiumMethod 2. Play YouTube Music in the Background with BrowsersMethod 3. Play YouTube Music in the Background with YouTube Music ConverterConclusion

Method 1. Play YouTube Music in the Background with Premium

How to play YouTube Music in the background? One way to keep YouTube Music playing in the background seamlessly on your phone is by subscribing to the platform's paid plan. This is the official way to enable that you’ll be able to play YouTube Music with the phone screen off or while using another app. There are no steps to playing YouTube Music in the background as it's on by default, as long as you have upgraded to Premium.

With a Premium subscription, you get additional benefits. For instance, the Premium plans come with ad-free access to YouTube Music and it gives you the option to download content for offline playback, too. It's worth getting a subscription if you need to take music on the go without incurring monthly overage charges from a network provider.

But what if you don’t fancy shelling out for yet another monthly subscription? Well, good news! Below 2 workarounds that will do the same job, but for free! In case you really want to listen to YouTube Music in the background, then you can follow to do that, as we'll explain below.

Method 2. Play YouTube Music in the Background with Browsers

How can I play YouTube Music in the background without Premium? When you have no idea about listening to YouTube Music in the background for free, the web browser is your rescue for the day. You can overcome the official YouTube Music app's prohibition on unpaid background playback by playing music in your browser like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. How to play YouTube Music in the background without Premium? Here are quick steps you could follow:

Play YouTube Music in the background on Android

Step 1. Launch Chrome or Firefox on an Android device and go to the YouTube Music website.

Step 2. Find the music you want to play.

Step 3. Tap on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the screen, and then select "Desktop site" from the drop-down menu

Step 4. Once it changes to the desktop version of YouTube Music, play the song again.

Step 5. Tap on the Home key at the bottom of your screen. The music may stop as soon as you see your home screen.

Step 6. From the top of the screen, please pull down your notifications, and you just have to play to restart the music. And voila, you can now play music in the background.

Play YouTube Music in the background on iPhone

How to play YouTube Music in the background on your iPhone without Premium? It is especially difficult to play music in the background on an iPhone because the method doesn't work in Chrome and Apple's default web browser, Safari. So you can use Firefox or Opera instead. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1. Type music.youtube.com into the address bar in Firefox or Opera and you should see the mobile site load.

Step 2. Play the music you'd like to listen to when you turn off your phone's screen. Once you’ve played music, change over to the desktop version of the site.

Step 3. When the music begins to play, get back to your iPhone's home screen. At this point, you'll realize that your music has stopped playing, but fret not.

Step 4. To force the audio to continue, open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of your phone's screen. In Control Center, from the media playback section, select the Play icon.

Although this seems like a very good way to get YouTube Music to play in the background without paying for Premium, it’s important to note that it won’t work all the time. You need to constantly test which browser can perform these steps on your phone. What's more, Firefox doesn’t allow you deeper controls such as pause or play, but Chrome lets you do all this. If playing YouTube Music in the background of a browser doesn't appeal to you, there is a method to go about it.

Method 3. Play YouTube Music in the Background with YouTube Music Converter

The above solutions are convenient, but you'll need to connect to a stable network connection while listening. How to play YouTube Music in the background without Premium? For free users seeking an effective workaround to enable background playback of YouTube Music without interruptions, we introduce a powerful tool known as AMusicSoft YouTube Music Converter, With AMusicSoft, you can enable the background play feature without relying on an active internet connection or a paid subscription.

AMusicSoft YouTube Music Converter for Windows and Mac is a versatile tool that allows both Premium and free users to download audio from YouTube Music to your computer. It ensures that the audio you download retains its original high quality, so you don't compromise on the listening experience. Within just a few clicks, you can convert music to various popular formats, including MP3, M4A, M4B, WAV, AAC, and FLAC, giving you the freedom to enjoy YouTube Music offline across different devices and platforms. You can keep YouTube Music downloads forever after canceling YouTube Music Premium.

How to play YouTube Music in the background via AMusicSoft YouTube Music Converter? In this part, we will show you the steps to download YouTube Music tracks offline for playing in the background.

Step 1. Go immediately to any browser available and launch it to search for the website of AMusicSoft. From here, click the Download button next to the YouTube Music Converter and then proceed with installation right after the download is finished.

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Step 2. When you open AMusicSoft YouTube Music Converter, you'll find that it's built with the YouTube Music web player. Just log into your YouTube Music account. Search for and choose your preferred songs or podcasts.

Step 3. Choose output format, bit rate, sample rate, output path, etc. Customize the ones you like and close the window to apply changes.

Step 4. When you click the "Convert" button, the download process starts. AMusicSoft YouTube Music Converter lets you convert tracks at 5 times faster speed on your Windows or Mac computer.

Most smartphones come with a built-in music app that allows you to store downloaded music. Link your Android or iOS device to your computer using a USB cable. Move all the converted YouTube Music tracks from your computer to your phone. Now, you can enjoy an efficient listening experience through your phone's music app, including background playback without interruptions.

Conclusion

And that's how to play YouTube Music in the background without keeping your phone's screen always on. If you think YouTube Music Premium is worth it, you may try the official way. On the other hand, if you want to play music from YouTube in the background for free, you can use web browsers to make it possible. A tool like AMusicSoft YouTube Music Converter also offers a workaround to download music and enjoy background playback without a premium subscription!

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