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How to listen to YouTube videos in the background – iOS guide

By Preslav Kateliev

Updated: Apr 17, 2015, 5:50 AM

How to listen to YouTube videos in the background – iOS guide

Google has been doing its best to limit the ability of one to listen to its music while doing something completely different than actually watching them. Now, naturally, since Google wants your eyes on its site / app (and ads), and especially since it launched the Play Music and All Access services – being able to just play tunes on your phone from the YouTube app then minimizing it / sleeping the phone and doing other stuff had to go.

Now, since Google has a firm grasp on Android, being able to play minimized YouTube vids on those handsets is actually not doable – not unless you root your phone, that is. However, you can actually have your YouTube music running in the background on an iOS device such as an iPad or iPhone. It's done in a couple of steps for each time you wish to activate it and here's how it's done:

How to listen to YouTube videos in the background – iOS guide

Now, as you can see from step 3 and 4, having the YouTube app on the device could cause some headaches as you try to use this method. If you end up deciding to ditch the app, here's an easy way to create a shortcut to the YouTube website – it will even look like an app!

Adding an app-like shortcut to YouTube.com

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Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.

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