YouTube offers a lightweight application that includes the option to play videos in the background and with the mobile screen turned off.

There are several ways to have some of the benefits of YouTube Premium without having to subscribe to the paid version of the platform, such as download the videos either play them with the mobile screen off. Among them is the option of use third-party apps or websitesalthough the vast majority of them are not entirely legal.

However, for years there has been a way to play YouTube videos in the background on your mobile without the need to be subscribed to the Premium version, free and completely legal. We are going to show you how you can do it.

Play YouTube videos in the background without subscribing to Premium or using third-party apps

The process to be able play youtube videos in the backgroundand even with the mobile screen turned off, it is extremely simple and anyone can do it. For this, we are going to use the web version of YouTube instead of its official app for Android. These are the steps to follow:

1. Open your mobile browser and go to the youtube website
2. Tap on the browser options menu, and from there, tap on “Desktop mode.”
3. When desktop mode has loaded, tap on any video to start playing it.

That’s all. When you start playing the video, you will be able to quit browser app and it will continue to play. In addition, you can turn off mobile screen and playback won’t stop either, which is perfect for those times when you want to listen to music through YouTube and you don’t want to keep your mobile screen on all the time.

It is even possible to go one step further. For avoid having to access the YouTube website Every time you want to play a video, there is the option to install web version as if it were an app. To do this, within the browser, tap on the Options menu, then tap the “Install YouTube” option. After a few seconds, the YouTube icon will be in the application drawer and the home screen of your mobile.

If you want to use only the web version of YouTube to enjoy its advantages (not only the possibility of playing videos in the background, but also the lower weight and data consumption), you can always deactivate the native YouTube application on your mobile. In this way, the links to YouTube will open directly in the web version instead of in the app.