Hiding YouTube Playback: Tips for iOS and Android

How to Play YouTube in Background on iPhone and Android

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Upgrade Your Videography with the Top 10 Flv-to-YouTube Devices

Top 10 Best Flvto Alternatives YouTube Converter in 2024

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Have you struggled with downloading videos from YouTube? If yes, your struggles are over. There are currently many programs available in the market that will help download your favorite videos from YouTube. More so, these programs have some intriguing features that you will love. Nevertheless, you should keep in mind that the Flvto YouTube downloader is a very helpful program. For those unaware, Flvto allows users to download their favorite videos from YouTube. Although, it sometimes crashes during the process of downloading. Of course, everyone will get annoyed with such a situation. This is why people have searched for a Flvto alternative, and surely, this is why you are reading this article. Before we delve into the ideal Flvto alternative that you can find, you must have an idea about the Flvto virus.

What is Flvto Virus?

One thing to note is that while the Flvto YouTube downloaded helps with downloading all types of videos and audio files, you will need to have an idea of the Flvto virus. For those unaware, Flvto lacks safety as a result of the bugs that come with it. There are times wherein simply downloading this converter will bring viruses to whatever system you are using. Note that this software runs lots of ads. And for those without an Adblock, you will need to get used to plenty of pop-ups. Note that most of these ads will lead you to malicious, questionable, and harmful websites. This means that Flvto is scarred with users complaining of the complexity in getting their videos downloaded due to the unnecessary adverts. Most people have referred to this issue as the Flvto virus. Remember that you can get rid of the Flvto virus by following some set guidelines that you will always find available when you need them.

Ten Best Flvto Alternatives

The ten best Flvto alternatives that you are going to love are:

1. WinX HD Video Converter

Platform: Windows , Mac

Price: Free Trial - $29.95

The first thing to note about this Flvto alternative is that it is a GPU accelerated 4k video converter. More so, it has an online video converter and downloader. It will amaze you that it fully supports Mac and Windows platforms. For those downloading videos, it fully supports Vimeo, Facebook, and of course, YouTube. If you want, your videos can be saved in either Mp3 or Mp4 format. Note that it has over 370 input and roughly 420 output formats. The WinX HD video converter allows you to download HD videos, 4k, or even 8k from over one thousand video streaming websites. This platform is rich with many features and enables users to import their videos from any source and device. For its pricing, you can make use of the free trial. And, it provides a thirty days money-back guarantee.

Features

• GPU Accelerated 4K Video Converter
• Supports Windows and Mac
• Supports wide range of platforms
• Around 420 output formats

2. Dirpy

Platform: Website

Price: Free - $7.99

It must be noted that Dirpy is a Flvto alternative, and it means that it is an online yet more developed DVR, Digital Video Converter. It is used in converting all the media files that you love. This tool will enable users to record their favorite media, made available on the Internet for free. Dirpy can be used as a media or YouTube Converter. It offers users easy access to actual-time conversations. More so, it fully supports high-quality or HD formats. And, it is free to use if you want to make use of it as an online converter. You can decide to make use of it online, or you can download the Dirpy software.

Features

• Web-based platform that can be used on all devices
• Covert all kinds of media files
• Real-time conversions
• Supports high-quality and HD formats

3. Apowersoft Free Video to Mp3

Platform: Website , PC

Price: Free

For those unaware, Apowersoft is a completely free video to mp3 converter that enables users to carry out the conversion in three easy ways. First of all, users can convert videos online simply by pasting the URL in the download box. Then, they can convert the videos locally from their device. Thirdly, users can easily search for videos by using their search box. Apowersoft is a Flvto alternative that customizes user’s videos by adjusting the size, changing the effects, and even trimming the video. It is capable of converting any files for the sake of easy playback. More so, it is free to use whenever you are ready to begin converting your videos.

Features

• Free Video to Mp3 converter and downloader
• Use it on the web or download software
• Directly search the video using Search Feature
• Customize your videos

4. Freemake Video Converter

Platform: Windows

Price: Free

This video converter has gone around to brag about being the number one YouTube downloader in the market. Though it is rated among the best Flvto alternative, you will be receiving instant downloads without any video emailing or ad preview. With the Freemake Video Converter, you can both download and save videos, channels, and even playlists in Mp3, Mp4 AVI, and even HD.

With this software, you can easily download videos from over ten thousand sites and YouTube. The videos can be downloaded in any format, and you will get the original quality. More so, you can save any YouTube content online, and Freemake offers both full HD and 4k videos without any form of re-encoding. It has no pricing plan as it is free to utilize.

Features

• Convert more than 500 formats
• Supports a wide range of video sharing platforms
• Convert 4K and HD videos
• Edit your videos

5. ClipGrab

Platform: Windows , Mac

Price: Free

For those unaware, ClipGrab is known as a software used to download videos from highly prominent websites such as Dailymotion, Metacafe, and of course, YouTube. When you download these videos, you can convert them into WEBM, WMV, Mp3, and all other formats. All these are done for free. More so, ClipGrab fully supports lots of websites though unofficially. It supports them via automatic site recognition. Thus, you will not need to worry about video downloads. For its pricing, it is completely free. However, thus Flvto alternative allows you to donate any amount you wish.

Features

• Download video from most popular website
• Convert videos before downloading them
• Supports a wide range of formats
• Completely free to be used

6. FlashGot

Platform: Thunderbird , Firefox

Price: Free

It must be noted that FlashGot is completely free and open-source software. It is a Flvto alternative that is specially crafted to handle both single or massive downloads. It does this with diverse external download managers. Some of these external download managers range from Aria, FatRat, JDownloader, and even FlashGet. FlashGot offers a free add-on for both Thunderbird and Firefox. It provides a free build gallery for users to synthesize their media galleries into one page. Also, it gives complete support for a complete and compatible generic URL parameter redirector.

Features

• No need to download any separate software
• Free and Open-source platform
• Mange massive downloads
• Supports all sort of URLs

7. 4k video downloader

Platform: Windows , Mac

Price: Free - $15

The 4k video downloader is, first of all, a Flvto alternative. It is regarded as a free video downloader and mp3 conversion app. Note that it allows users to download playlists, videos, channels, and subtitles from diverse prominent sites 4k video downloader fully supports Mac OS, Windows, and even Ubuntu platforms. It comes with an amazing client list that includes Life Hacker, Tech Advisor, and many others. Note that all your videos will be gotten in 4k quality for both android and iOS devices. This software has feature updates, as well as a channel subscription feature. For its pricing, it has one free plan and two premium plans.

Features

• Download 4K videos
• Download playlist and channel collectively
• Download videos with subtitles
• Supports all kinds of prominent websites

8. Leawo Video Converter

Platform: Windows , Mac

Price: Free - $29.95

The first thing to remember about Leawo Video Converter is that it is a tool used to convert both audio and videos to over 180 formats. It has a speed that is six times faster and a 1:1 quality. For those interested, it assists users with video and audio conversion no matter the device you have. It comes with a user-friendly interface and offers facilities such as giving you the chance to add subtitles and even select an audio track.

Features

• Convert both audio and video files
• Supports more than 180 formats
• Enjoy faster conversions
• User-friendly and easy to use interface

9. By Click Downloader

Platform: Windows

Price: Free - $9.99

This is a Flvto alternative that is easy to use and allows users to download YouTube music to Mp4 and Mp3. It fully supports every site for downloading, like Facebook and YouTube. One thing to note about By Click Downloader is that it offers recommendations. You are free to download videos in either 1080p, 720, 8k, or even 4k quality. The videos can be converted into diverse formats.

Features

• Supports a wide range of popular websites
• Download entire playlists
• Covert and download 4K and HD quality
• Supports a wide range of formats

10. SnapDownloader

Platform: Windows , Mac

Price: Free - $19.99/year

As a Flvto alternative, this tool is used for downloading videos from over nine hundred websites. It allows users to download videos in 1080p, 4k, or even 8k quality. It comes with a very high download speed and functionalities to convert your videos to both Mp4 or Mp3 formats. It fully supports users in downloading VR videos and allows them to download YouTube channels and playlists.

Features

• Download video from 900+ websites
• Download videos in 4K and 8K quality
• Supports a huge range of video formats
• Supports downloading of VR videos
• Download Youtube playlists

Conclusion

On a general note, we have successfully provided you with some of the best Flvto alternatives that you can find in the market. Be sure to be aware of the Flvto virus, as it can get very annoying having pop-up ads disturbing your download with Flvto. You can read through this article to make your selection on the Flvto alternative to download.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison