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Use Safari or Brave browser to enable background playback without any third-party apps.
No YouTube Premium needed—this trick is 100% free and works across most iPhones.
Save battery and multitask while your music or podcast plays uninterrupted.
Tired of YouTube pausing videos when you switch tabs on your iPhone? You're not alone. Luckily, there's a free hack that lets you play YouTube videos in the background without needing YouTube Premium, allowing you to enjoy music or podcasts while using other apps. Here’s how to do it step by step using Safari or other alternative browsers.
First, open Safari and go to YouTube.
Log in to Safari and go to YouTube.com. Find the movie you want to watch.
To get to the desktop site, tap the "AA" sign in the upper left corner of Safari's search bar. YouTube will load the full web version because of this.
After you watch the video, swipe up to go to the home screen or change apps. Don't worry—it will pause.
If you have a recent iPhone, swipe down from the top right corner to open the Control Centre. Then press the play button. The sound will start playing again in the background!
Also read: Adobe’s Free AI Tool: The Best Option for Background Removal?
Get the Brave browser from the App Store if Safari feels slow. Brave automatically allows playing videos in the background.
Open up YouTube in Brave
Watch any movie
Change apps or lock the screen
To restart playing, use the media controls on the lock screen
Brave also blocks ads, which makes it a great browser for YouTube fans who want to do everything in one.
You can stop Auto-Lock by going to Settings > Display & Brightness and turning it off.
You can place several songs or talks in a YouTube playlist.
Pair with low power mode to keep the battery from dying while watching in the background.
Background viewing is a paid function of YouTube Premium, but this hack does almost the same thing for free. Unless you are downloading offline videos or watching ad-free, there's little reason to pay just for background play.
This method is ideal for:
Music streaming
Ambient videos (e.g., rain, study sounds)
Motivational speeches or tutorials
YouTube Premium is great, but not mandatory if your goal is simple: play YouTube videos in the background. With just Safari or Brave and a few quick taps, you can multitask like a pro, all while listening to your favorite content.
Next time someone tells you background play is a premium feature, smile and share this iPhone hack; you just saved them ₹129/month.
Also read: YouTube's New Badge for AI-Free Content: Verifying Your Video's Authenticity
