One of the most widely used websites for podcasts, music, and instructional content is YouTube. The YouTube mobile app’s main flaw, though, is that it ends playing as soon as you go to another app or turn off your iPhone screen. Especially if you want to listen to material while working, multitasking, or conserving battery life, this might be annoying.
There are still free ways to listen to YouTube on your iPhone without using the screen if you don’t want to purchase YouTube Premium. We’ll look at a variety of free ways to accomplish this in this post , such as utilizing web browsers, third-party applications, and iOS capabilities.
Method 1: Using Safari
Using the Safari browser on your iPhone is one of the simplest methods to listen to YouTube when your screen is off. This technique uses YouTube’s desktop mode, which permits background playback, and doesn’t require any extra programs.
– Open YouTube in Safari
You must use Safari, the built-in web browser for iPhones, to access YouTube because the app does not allow background streaming for free users.
- Launch the Safari app.
- Enter http://www.youtube.com in the address bar and hit Enter.
- Use the search bar to locate the video you wish to watch after YouTube has loaded.
At this stage, Safari will automatically pause if you attempt to play a video and then quit. You must activate desktop mode in order to avoid this.
– Enable Desktop Mode
YouTube’s mobile website does not enable background playback by default. But YouTube’s desktop version permits it. To enter desktop mode:
- In the address bar at the top of Safari, tap the “AA” button.
- A little menu will show up. Press the “Request Desktop Website” button.
- YouTube will refresh and show the website in desktop mode.
This step is quite important because it stops YouTube from automatically pausing the video when you switch apps or lock your screen.
– Play the video & use Background Playback
You can now play the video in the background by following these instructions after opening YouTube in desktop mode:
- On the video of your choice, press play.
- Swipe up or hit the home button to close Safari. Don’t worry, the audio will cease playing.
- Swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen (or up on previous iPhones) will reveal the Control Center.
- The YouTube video title will appear in the media player in the Control Center.
- The audio will resume when you press the play button.
- The music will still play in the background even after you lock your iPhone.
Method 2: Using Firefox or Opera browser
Another excellent option is to use a third-party web browser, such Firefox or Opera, if the Safari solution does not regularly work for you. These browsers frequently provide greater background playback capabilities and let you get around YouTube’s feature that automatically pauses videos when the app is closed.
While this approach functions similarly to Safari, it occasionally offers a more reliable background audio listening experience. To listen to YouTube on your iPhone when your screen is off, follow these instructions for Firefox or Opera.
– Download Firefox or Opera from the App Store.
Safari is the default browser for iPhones, so you’ll need to download Firefox or Opera separately:
- On your iPhone, open the App Store.
- Type “Firefox” or “Opera” into the search field and hit Enter.
- Opera and Firefox are both free to download and install.
- After installation, launch the application and prepare to visit YouTube.
- Use the browser to access YouTube and select Desktop Mode.
– Open YouTube in the browser and request Desktop Mode.
After installing your selected browser, do the following:
- Launch Opera or Firefox.
- Enter http://www.youtube.com in the address bar and hit Enter.
- Look for the video you wish to watch after the page loads.
- Turn on Desktop Mode to stop YouTube from pausing when you switch between apps:
Firefox: In Firefox, tap the menu with three dots in the lower-right corner and choose “Request Desktop Site.”
Opera: To access Opera, tap the “O” menu button located in the lower-right corner and select “Desktop Site.”
- YouTube will refresh and show the website in desktop mode.
– Play the video, then lock the screen and resume from the Control Center.
YouTube is now in desktop mode, so you may begin playing your video and turn off the screen to listen to the audio:
- Put your video on play.
- Use the home button or swipe up to close the browser.
Even if the video could halt on its own, you can still pick it back up:
- On iPhones with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner to open the Control Center; on previous iPhones, swipe up from the bottom.
- You may see the YouTube video in the Control Center’s media playback widget.
- The audio will keep playing in the background when you tap the play button.
- If you lock your iPhone, the music will continue to play.
Method 3: Using free third-party apps
Try installing free third-party apps that support background playback if using a web browser like Safari, Firefox, or Opera doesn’t provide you a seamless experience. While some of these apps focus on playing just the music to conserve data and battery life, others allow you to view YouTube videos in a floating window (Picture-in-Picture mode).
– Apps That Support Background Playback
- X.app– Lets you play YouTube videos in a floating window and in locks creen
- PiPiFire – Lets you play YouTube videos in a floating window
- Musique – Plays YouTube videos as audio.