Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports that YouTube has officially blocked free background playback in third-party mobile browsers like Samsung Internet, Vivaldi, Brave, and Edge.
- This feature is now exclusively available to YouTube Premium subscribers, with plans starting from £7.99/$7.99 monthly for students.
- The change eliminates a popular workaround that allowed non-Premium users to play YouTube videos in the background via mobile web browsers.
Google has told website Android Authority that YouTube is now blocking background playback in third-party browsers on mobile devices.
A spokesperson said: “Background playback is a feature intended to be exclusive for YouTube Premium members. While some non-Premium users may have previously been able to access this through mobile web browsers in certain scenarios, we have updated the experience to ensure consistency across all our platforms.”
What this means is that any loopholes you may have been exploiting have now closed. Previously, the feature could still be used for free via certain mobile browsers – but it’s clear that has come to an end. From now on, if you want to keep listening to YouTube while using other apps or platforms, you’ll need to get a Premium subscription.
In the UK, plans start from £7.99/$7.99 per month for students, £12.99/$13.99 per month for an individual, or £19.99/$22.99 per month for a family subscription. There’s also the option of Premium Lite, which gives you access to ad-free videos of all types except music and shorts. You can sign up at YouTube.
Last week, users of browsers such as Samsung Internet, Vivaldi, Brave and Microsoft Edge began reporting that background mode had stopped working.
According to The Verge, some Firefox users found a temporary solution by changing the browser’s user agent. However, this method doesn’t work for everyone and may already have stopped working for all.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication M3 and was translated and adapted from Swedish.