How do I play YouTube Music with my Android screen off?

Introducing YouTube Music

YouTube Music is an ad-supported music streaming service developed by YouTube. It was launched in November 2015 as YouTube Red, a subscription service that provided ad-free access to YouTube videos as well as access to original content produced by YouTube creators.

In May 2018, YouTube Red was rebranded as YouTube Premium and YouTube Music was launched as a separate app focusing just on music streaming. YouTube Music provides access to official songs, albums, thousands of playlists and artist radio plus YouTube’s catalog of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos.

YouTube Music allows users to listen to music for free with ads. There is also YouTube Music Premium, a paid subscription that provides ad-free listening, offline downloads and background playback.

Overall, YouTube Music aims to compete with premium music services like Spotify and Apple Music by leveraging YouTube’s vast catalog of music content.

Playing YouTube Music on Android

YouTube Music is Google’s music streaming service that allows you to listen to unlimited music for free or with a paid subscription. It comes pre-installed on most Android devices, making it easy to start listening to music right away. Here’s an overview of how to play YouTube Music on an Android device:

Open the YouTube Music app on your Android. You can find it in your list of apps or use the search bar to locate it. When you launch the app, you’ll be brought to the YouTube Music homepage.

At the bottom navigation bar, tap on Home to browse music. Here you can find customized recommendations, new releases, your recent listens, and playlists based on your musical tastes.

To search for a specific song, artist, album, or playlist, use the search bar at the top of the app. Just type in a keyword and select the result you want to play.

Tap on a song, playlist, or album cover to start streaming it. The music will begin playing automatically. Use the on-screen playback controls to pause, skip tracks, shuffle, or adjust the volume.

That’s the basic way to play music on YouTube Music for Android. Now let’s look at keeping the music going even when your phone screen turns off.

Screen Off Playback

By default, YouTube Music will pause playback when your Android screen turns off or if you leave the app. This is due to YouTube Music’s limitation that prevents continuous music playback while the screen is off, unlike dedicated music streaming apps.

According to a Reddit thread, YouTube Music will automatically pause playback shortly after locking your Android screen or switching to another app. This default behavior is frustrating for anyone wanting to listen to music or other audio with their screen off to save battery.

Enabling Background Playback

To enable background playback in the YouTube Music app on Android, follow these steps:

Open the YouTube Music app on your Android device.
Tap on your profile icon in the top right corner.

Go to Settings > Background playback.
Toggle the “Background audio” switch to the on position.

This will allow YouTube Music to continue playing audio even when your Android screen is turned off or you switch to another app (source: How to Play Youtube Music in Background). The background audio will keep playing until you manually stop it.

However, note that you’ll need an active YouTube Music Premium subscription for this background playback feature. Without a paid Premium account, background audio won’t work in the YouTube Music app (source: Why doesn’t YouTube Music app play in the background?).

Using a Premium Subscription

One of the easiest ways to enable background listening on YouTube Music for Android is to use a YouTube Music Premium subscription. With a Premium subscription, background playback and listening with the screen off are automatically enabled across devices without needing to change any settings [1].

A YouTube Music Premium subscription removes ads, allows downloads for offline listening, and unlocks background listening. This means you can keep listening to music or other audio even when you switch apps, turn off the display, or lock the screen on your Android device. The music playback will continue uninterrupted [2].

The Premium subscription applies to both YouTube Music and regular YouTube, allowing ad-free and background play across both apps. This makes it a great option for anyone who frequently listens to music or other audio content from YouTube. With Premium, no extra steps are required to play audio with the screen off.

Note that a YouTube Music Premium subscription allows background listening without needing to change settings. This provides a simple and seamless listening experience. If you don’t want to pay for Premium, there are other options to enable background audio, but they involve adjusting settings each time you want to turn the display off.

Alternative Apps for Background Listening

If you don’t want to pay for a YouTube Premium subscription, there are some third-party Android apps that can enable background listening for YouTube Music:

NewPipe – An open source YouTube client that allows background playback. You’ll need to download the app outside of the Play Store.
OGYoutube – A modded YouTube app that enables background listening. You’ll have to allow installation from unknown sources.
FlyTube – An ad-supported app that supports background YouTube Music playback. Available on the Play Store.

Vanced Manager – Provides a modded YouTube app with background playback. Requires manual installation.

These third-party apps can provide background listening functionality without paying the YouTube Premium subscription cost. However, modded apps violate YouTube’s terms and may stop working if YouTube makes changes.

Downsides of Screen Off Playback

While listening to music with your Android’s screen turned off is convenient, there are some potential downsides to be aware of.

One major drawback is increased battery drain. According to a Google developer article, apps that run in the background can significantly impact battery life. Music streaming requires a constant data connection, which utilizes more power. So you may see your battery deplete faster with screen off listening.

Increased data usage is another consequence. An app testing service called Utilities One found that background app activity can account for up to 30% of total data consumption. With the screen off, you won’t see real-time data usage adding up. YouTube Music will continue pulling songs and draining your data plan.

While convenient, screen off listening has tradeoffs. Monitoring your battery and data usage can prevent unexpected drains. But for many, the benefits outweigh the costs.

Listener Modes

In addition to background playback, YouTube Music offers other listening modes that give users more flexibility when playing audio on Android devices. These include:

Downloads – Users can download songs, albums, playlists, and other content for offline listening when an internet connection is unavailable. This allows uninterrupted playback when traveling or in areas with poor connectivity (Source: https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313552?hl=en).

Minimized player – The YouTube Music player can be minimized to a small window that sits above other apps, enabling music playback while doing other tasks. The minimized player includes playback controls and the currently playing song title and artist.
Audio-only mode – This displays just the audio track of music videos or other visual content, conserving data usage and battery life (Source: https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/answer/6313574?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid).

These features give listeners more options to customize their YouTube Music experience on Android.

Additional tips

Here are some other tips for seamless listening with your Android screen off:

Enable battery optimization exceptions – Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Special app access > Battery optimization and ensure YouTube Music is not optimized to avoid the app being closed while running in the background. This allows it to keep playing with the screen off without interruption (source: https://www.noteburner.com/youtube-music-tips/play-youtube-music-in-background-without-premium.html).

Disable auto screen lock – Go to Settings > Display > Screen timeout and select “Never” to prevent your screen from turning off automatically. This will allow the video or music to continue uninterrupted (source: https://www.viwizard.com/youtube-music-tips/play-youtube-music-in-the-background.html).

Close other apps – Swipe away any apps you aren’t using to free up RAM and prevent YouTube Music from being shut down. Keeping only essential background processes running makes it more likely YouTube Music will keep playing.

Check for updates – Install the latest versions of the YouTube Music app and Android OS for any bug fixes that improve background playback.

Adjust audio quality – In the YouTube Music settings, lower the audio quality from “High” to “Normal” or “Low” which uses less data and is less likely to stall.

Summary

To recap, there are a few main ways to play YouTube Music with your Android screen off:

Enable background audio playback in the YouTube Music app settings.
Get a YouTube Premium subscription, which includes background listening.

Use a third party app like Vanced YouTube Music or YouTube Vanced which allow screen off playback.
Consider audio-only listener modes like YouTube Music’s minimized player.

By enabling background audio, getting Premium, or using an alternative app, you can listen to YouTube Music with the screen off to save battery life. Just be aware of potential downsides like ads or lack of support. With the right setup, you can enjoy your favorite music and playlists even with your Android screen turned off.