Does YouTube Music play with screen off?

YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube. It provides access to official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio stations, and YouTube’s catalog of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos. Features include customized recommendations, intelligent search, support for uploads, and unlimited skips and ad-free listening with a YouTube Music Premium subscription.

One question users frequently ask is whether YouTube Music continues playing with the screen turned off. The default behavior of the app is to pause playback when the screen shuts off or the app is minimized. However, there are some workarounds to enable background playback, which this article will cover.

We’ll provide an overview of YouTube Music’s default screen off behavior, discuss why the app works this way, outline methods to enable continuous playback, look at Premium account benefits, summarize potential downsides of workarounds, recommend best practices, compare to other music apps, and offer closing thoughts.

What is YouTube Music?

YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed and operated by YouTube, which is owned by Google (https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/what-is-youtube-music/). It allows users to stream official songs, albums, playlists, and music videos from YouTube’s official catalog of content. YouTube Music also offers users personalized recommendations based on their listening history and preferences.

Some of the key features of YouTube Music include (https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/youtube-music):

  • Streaming music both online and offline
  • Personalized playlists and radio stations
  • Music videos and concert footage
  • Podcasts and audio shows
  • User-generated content like covers and remixes
  • Integration with Google Assistant

Overall, YouTube Music aims to provide a robust music streaming experience by leveraging YouTube’s massive catalog of official and user-generated audio and video content.

Default Behavior of YouTube Music

The default behavior of YouTube Music is that it doesn’t continue music playback when the screen turns off or the device locks. Instead, the music stops after a few seconds or minutes of screen off time (Source).

This is because YouTube Music doesn’t allow playback to continue without the screen on, unlike some other streaming music apps. So if you switch to another app or lock your phone, YouTube Music will stop the music shortly after (Source).

Why the Default Behavior?

YouTube Music’s default behavior of stopping playback when the screen is off is primarily due to music licensing restrictions and technical/bandwidth limitations.

The music industry has strict rules around licensing songs for streaming and digital downloads. Services like YouTube Music must obtain the proper licenses from record labels, publishers, and rights holders to be able to stream their catalog of songs (Source 1). These licenses often specify that playback must stop when the app is minimized or the device screen is turned off. This allows rights holders to retain more control over their content.

There are also technical reasons why playback stops with the screen off. Streaming music continuously uses bandwidth and resources which can tax mobile devices. Stopping playback when minimized helps conserve bandwidth and battery life (Source 2). There are ways to enable background playback, but they require overriding YouTube Music’s default settings.

Workarounds to Enable Playback

While background playback is restricted on YouTube Music’s free tier, there are some workarounds that allow listening to continue with the screen off:

Using a music player app: Apps like Audiomack and Deezer can play YouTube Music tracks in the background for free. You can download the songs and import your playlists to keep listening after turning off your screen.

Background play options: On Android, apps like YouTube Vanced add background playback by modifying the YouTube Music APK. There are also modded versions of the iOS app with the same capability. However, these modified apps come with risks, as they are not officially supported.

Premium Account Benefits

One of the key benefits of a YouTube Premium subscription is the ability to play music with the screen off. According to YouTube’s premium features page, YouTube Music Premium allows you to “Enjoy music without ads” and “Keep videos playing when you switch apps or lock your phone”.

With a Premium account, you can enable background playback and listen to music ad-free even when your phone screen is off or you’re using other apps. This is useful for activities like working out or driving where you don’t need to be looking at your phone the whole time.

Premium also removes ads from the YouTube Music app, providing an uninterrupted listening experience. So if you frequently use YouTube Music and want the convenience of background playback and an ad-free interface, a Premium subscription may be worthwhile.

Downsides of Playback Workarounds

While enabling background playback on YouTube Music can be convenient, there are some downsides to consider.

One major downside is increased battery drain. Keeping the screen on and the app open in the background uses more battery than allowing normal sleep behavior. As noted in this article, constant video playback is very taxing on mobile devices and will deplete the battery charge faster.

Another downside is increased data usage. Streaming audio over mobile networks continuously can use up your monthly data allowance more quickly. According to some user reports, enabling background YouTube playback caused their mobile data usage to spike, even when connected to WiFi.

In summary, overriding the default background behavior in YouTube Music can negatively impact battery life and mobile data usage. So it’s best to enable judiciously for limited periods unless you have unlimited data and consistent charging ability.

Best Practices for Screen Off Playback

Here are some tips to help get background audio playback on YouTube Music with your device’s screen turned off:

Enable battery saver settings – Go into your device’s settings and enable any battery saver or battery optimization options. This will allow apps like YouTube Music to function properly in the background. For example, on Android devices, make sure Battery Optimization is turned off for YouTube Music (Settings > Apps > YouTube Music > Battery).

Download audio for offline listening – YouTube Music allows you to download songs, albums, playlists, and more for offline playback when you don’t have an internet connection. Downloaded music can continue playing with the screen off. See this guide for how to enable offline downloads.

Other Music Apps with Background Play

Many other popular music apps allow for background playback even without a premium subscription, unlike YouTube Music:

Spotify’s free tier lets you play music in the background on mobile. You’re limited in what you can play and skip, but background playback is supported. Spotify Premium removes these restrictions.

Similarly, Apple Music’s free tier provides background audio on iPhone and iPad. Upgrading to a paid Individual or Family subscription unlocks unlimited skips and downloads.

Comparatively, YouTube Music lacks background playback unless you upgrade to Premium or utilize workarounds. This gives major competitors like Spotify and Apple Music an advantage for users wanting to multitask while listening to music.

Overall, most other top music streaming services offer background audio as part of their free tiers. This makes YouTube Music an outlier in requiring either a paid subscription or tricky workarounds to enable the same functionality.

Summary

To recap, YouTube Music does not allow playback to continue when your screen is turned off by default. This is due to licensing restrictions and to incentivize Premium subscriptions. However, there are some workarounds using third party apps or background play enablers that can allow YouTube Music to continue playing with the screen off.

The best practice is to use these workarounds cautiously and ethically. Be mindful of data usage and don’t overuse background playback if you are not paying for a Premium account. The playback is intended as a Premium feature to remove ads and support creators.

Overall, while YouTube Music limits background play by default, there are still options available if you need music to continue with the screen off in certain circumstances. Just be respectful of the creators and consider a Premium subscription if you find yourself needing full background playback regularly.

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