YouTube now requires a premium subscription for background playback. Previously, some users were using workarounds with certain browsers to access the background playback feature for free, but the company has now blocked these methods.

It's no longer possible to play videos in the background on YouTube without a subscription. The company offers the background playback option in its premium plan, but many users were enjoying this feature for free using various tricks. Now, the company has cracked down on these methods, affecting millions of users. Without a premium plan, if a user is playing a video, it will stop playing in the background as soon as the screen is turned off or the browser is minimized.

How Users Were Playing Background Videos for Free

YouTube's premium plan offers users the background playback feature. This allows videos to continue playing in the background even when the screen is off or another app is being used. However, many users were accessing this feature for free using third-party browsers. These browsers allowed videos to continue playing in the background even when minimized, giving users a premium subscription feature without paying. Now, YouTube has put a stop to this.

The Change That Has Been Made

According to media reports, YouTube had been monitoring this for quite some time. After receiving complaints about this feature being available for free on browsers like Samsung Internet, Edge, and Vivaldi, YouTube has fixed the issue. Now, as soon as the browser is minimized, the video playing in the background will immediately stop. Methods such as clearing the browser cache and changing picture-in-picture settings are also no longer working. Google, YouTube's parent company, has also confirmed this. The company stated that background playback is only available for premium users.