Play YouTube videos in the background for free

YouTube segundo plano

YouTube is one of the most used applications on a daily basis to view Internet content, even surely throughout the day you have seen at least one video in this app. If you use it from your mobile, you will know that there is no way (in principle) to watch content in the background without having YouTube Premium. We know that this can be a problem sometimes, so we will teach you how to play YouTube videos in the background for free.

There are methods that need third-party apps to watch videos in the background , but there is also a way that you can do that without installing any files. We will explain both methods; both with app and without app, so you can choose the one that best suits you.

Play YouTube videos in the background without installing any app

YouTube en segundo plano

This little trick will allow you to play YouTube videos in the background (with the app closed) without the need to install any third-party apps. In this case you will have to access the internet browser of your mobile . You will need to go to “ youtube.com ” with the desktop site option.

You’ll need to play any YouTube video, then you can exit the browser and whatever you put in will still play in the background . In the notification bar you will see a tab to pause, resume or change the video you have posted.

That way you can play YouTube videos in the background without installing anything else. However, this method has the disadvantage that it only works when accessing the platform from the browser .

Play YouTube videos with split screen feature

YouTube en pantalla dividida

If the previous recommendation is not enough, you can use the split screen function of your mobile to complement your YouTube experience. If your phone is running Android 8.0 and up, this trick will work for you.

What you should do is enter the YouTube application, then enter the multitasking of your mobile and press and hold the app. When the options menu is displayed, you must click on “ Split screen ”.

That way you can have YouTube and any other application open at the same time. This method does not work the same as a background video player, but it is close to its function and you should not use the browser of your mobile but the common YouTube app.

YouTube Vanced: the application with which you will play videos in the background

YouTube Vanced vídeo segundo plano

YouTube Vanced is an app that allows you to do a lot of things that are available in YouTube Premium but without paying a single euro.

With this app you can play YouTube videos in the background without any problem. You can also forget about annoying advertising, since YouTube Vanced eliminates any ad that may skip you when playing content.

YouTube Vanced has another great advantage, and that is that its interface is identical to that of regular YouTube. With this app you won’t have to get used to a new interface to be able to enjoy your favorite content. For all that, this is undoubtedly the best option that we can recommend.

How to play videos in the background with YouTube Vanced

To play the videos in the background you just have to place some content in the app and exit it. The content will automatically play in the background , and you will have a tab in your mobile’s notification bar to pause or resume the video. In that case you will only hear the audio of the content you are consuming.

We cleared up that last little thing because YouTube Vanced lets you do more than play content in the background. One of those things is to watch the videos in a floating window . For that you only have to play some content and enter another application so that the minimized video window will pop up. You can do it by entering from the notification panel or from multitasking.

Once you have jumped the pop-up window for having entered another application, you will be able to go to the menu of all the applications of your mobile and you will continue to have the video in a floating window .

Vanced Manager: the manager of YouTube Vanced

It should be clarified that YouTube Vanced is available in APK format and is not available in the Google Play Store.

Before installing YouTube Vanced, you need to install Vanced Manager, since the latter is the administrator of the YouTube app. To install it you must follow these steps:

  1. Download Vanced Manager .Instalar YouTube Vanced
  2. Install Vanced Manager (you must enable permissions to install files from unknown sources on your mobile).
  3. After it is installed, enter the Vanced Manager and you will see the menu with several apps to install.
  4. Install Vanced microG (this app is required in order to install YouTube Vanced).
  5. While the installation is loading you cannot exit Vanced Manager .Instala Vanced Manager

YouTube vanced: how to install this application?

Once you have Manager Vanced and Vanced microG, you can install YouTube Vanced. To install the app you must follow a few steps:

  1. Go to Manager Vanced .
  2. In the section where it says “ YouTube Vanced ” click install.
  3. Choose the version of “ Theme: Light + Dark ”.
  4. Wait for the file to load (you can’t exit the app while it loads).Instala YouTube Vanced

After you install YouTube Vanced, you can enjoy background video playback without any ads and floating window video playback.

It should be noted that you can also install YouTube Music for free with Vanced Manager. To do so, you just have to follow the same steps that we already told you about.

VLC: a video player that allows you to play YouTube in the background

VLC reproductor de vídeo en segundo plano

Unlike YouTube Vanced , this application can be installed from the Google Play Store . VLC is a video player that will complement the common YouTube app. This will allow you to play content in the background and in a popup window.

The first thing you should do is install the app from the download drawer that we will leave below. Once the application is installed, you have to play a video on YouTube, click on “Share” and select “Play with VLC

When you do that it will open VLC directly in the video player. To play the content in the background you have to click on the 3 vertical points below and select the option “Play as audio”. If you want to see the video in a pop-up window select the “Thumbnail Player” option.

What do you think of these methods? Do you prefer to install an app to watch YouTube in the background or do you prefer to use the browser option?

VLC for Android

Price: Free