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If you subscribe to YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium, you can use the background playback feature of the official app, allowing you to enjoy your favorite YouTube Music songs even when the app or your smartphone is closed.

This article will explain in detail how to play YouTube Music in the background. In addition to the official method available only to members, we will also introduce a method that allows background playback even for free YouTube Music members. If you want to enjoy YouTube Music songs more comfortably, please read to the end.

How to Play YouTube Music in the Background

How to play YouTube Music in the background [Paid members only]

If you subscribe to YouTube Music's premium plan, you can play music in the background on your smartphone via the official app.

Play YouTube Music in the background on your iPhone

Open the YouTube Music app on your iPhone, play your favorite music, and close the app. Swipe down from the top right of the screen to display the Control Center. You can pause and play YouTube Music from the Control Center.

iPhone Control Center

Play YouTube Music in the background on Android

If you're a premium member of the YouTube Music app on Android, you can play music in the background even if you close the app. Swipe down from the top of your smartphone screen to display the quick settings panel. You can control YouTube Music playback and pause from the quick settings panel.

Android Quick Settings Panel

How to play YouTube music in the background even with the free plan

Here we will show you how to play YouTube Music in the background even with the free plan. If you use a browser such as Safari or Brave, you can use YouTube Music without logging in. We will also show you how to download music with YouTube Music's free plan and play it in the background freely.

Play YouTube Music in the background in Safari

On your iPhone, open Safari and search for YouTube Music. Press and hold the YouTube Music link and tap "Open in New Tab." Next, tap the "AA" or "AA" icon in the Safari address bar at the top of the screen and select "View Desktop Website." This will allow YouTube Music to play in the background even when you close Safari. You can pause and play music from the Control Center.

Play YouTube Music in the background in Safari

Play YouTube Music in the background in the Brave browser

For Android users, simply install the Brave browser from the Google Play Store and play music on the YouTube Music website to enable background playback. Controls for YouTube Music, such as play and pause, can be found in the Quick Settings panel.

Play YouTube Music in the background with Brave browser

Recommended: Play YouTube Music in the background with StreamByte for Music

YouTube Music's background playback feature cannot be used unless you subscribe to a paid plan. Also, once your premium membership expires, background playback will no longer be available. If you use Safari or Brave browsers, you can play in the background without logging in to YouTube Music, but depending on your internet connection, music playback may be interrupted midway, and ads may be displayed before and after the song is played. Therefore, we recommend using music conversion software that is compatible with YouTube Music, "StreamByte for Music" is recommended.

With StreamByte for Music, even with the free YouTube Music plan, you can convert music to MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and other popular formats and download it to your computer. Downloaded YouTube Music songs are DRM-free and can be transferred to any device, including iPhones, Android smartphones, and tablets, for background playback.Cancel YouTube Music PremiumThis software also offers unlimited offline playback of music saved with it, making it a useful tool for paid subscribers. Playing saved music doesn't consume data and there are no ads, so you can enjoy it comfortably. You can try all the features of "StreamByte for Music" for free, so please download it and take advantage of it.

StreamByte for Music

StreamByte for Music

This is the perfect music converter for those who want to enjoy streaming music with the original sound quality. It supports multiple music platforms and allows you to save music while maintaining high sound quality.

Main features of StreamByte for Music and why we recommend it

  • YouTube MusicRemove DRM protectionand can be converted to a variety of formats including MP3/AAC/FLAC
  • Download YouTube Music songs at 320kbps high quality and 35x faster speed
  • It has a built-in web player,YouTube Music PC appCan be used as
  • Downloaded YouTube Music songs can be played in the background without any restrictions
  • You can download multiple songs, albums, and playlists from YouTube Music at once.

Steps to download and save YouTube Music songs with StreamByte for Music

step 1After launching "StreamByte for Music" and logging in, you will be taken to the main screen. If you want to download songs from YouTube Music and play them in the background, select YouTube Music on the main screen.

Select YouTube Music

Step 2Log in to YouTube Music with your account and search for the music you want to play in the background.

Search for the music you want to play in the background

Step 3When you find the YouTube Music song you want to play in the background, click the "Add" button to the right of the song name to add it to the conversion list.

Add to conversion list

Step 4On the conversion list screen, you can select the output format, bit rate, sampling rate, and destination directory for YouTube Music at the bottom left. Finally, click "Convert All" at the bottom right to start downloading YouTube Music.

Specify the save location

Step 5You can check the progress of the music download on the conversion screen. Downloaded YouTube Music songs can be viewed under the "Conversion Completed" tab. Downloaded YouTube Music songs to the selected output folder and play them in the background without any restrictions.

Check the download progress

"StreamByte for MusicWith ", you can easilyDownload YouTube Music songs to your PCYou can save songs in MP3, AAC, and other formats while preserving their original audio quality. You can transfer saved songs to various devices, including iPhones and Android smartphones, in standard formats like MP3 and AAC. This music can be enjoyed offline and in the background, regardless of whether you're a premium member or not, regardless of your internet connection. This software also features batch downloading and ID3 tag editing/retention. If you want to play high-quality YouTube Music in the background, try downloading StreamByte for Music for free.

Free Download

100% safe and virus free

Free Download

100% safe and virus free

YouTube Music Background Playback FAQ

What should I do if YouTube Music won't play in the background?

There are several possible reasons why YouTube Music may not play in the background. The most common reasons include an expired YouTube Music Premium subscription, background playback turned off, an outdated app version, or other apps playing audio. In these cases, try checking your YouTube Music membership, turning on background playback, updating the app to the latest version, or closing other apps playing audio.

Is there a way to reduce data usage when playing YouTube Music in the background?

Due to the cache function, streaming YouTube Music will incur data usage, so we recommend downloading songs you want to play in the background beforehand. Also, when playing YouTube Music music videos in the background, you can save data by using low-quality settings or "audio-only mode."

summary

In this article, we've introduced in detail how to enable background playback for both the premium and free plans of YouTube Music. To use the background playback feature in the YouTube Music app, you must subscribe to a subscription plan. Is background playback possible even with the free plan if you use Safari or Brave browsers? However, there are drawbacks, such as unstable playback and the display of ads. If you want to enjoy YouTube Music more comfortably, we recommend using the "StreamByte for MusicWe recommend downloading YouTube Music songs and playing them in the background.

With "StreamByte for Music," you can download and save music in common formats like MP3, even with YouTube Music's free plan. Downloaded YouTube Music tracks maintain high-quality audio at 320kbps, are ad-free, and can be transferred to any device, including smartphones and tablets, without restrictions, and can even play in the background. YouTube Music Premium members can play downloaded songs offline without restrictions, even after canceling their subscription. "StreamByte for Music" offers a free trial, so please give it a try.

Free Download

100% safe and virus free

Free Download

100% safe and virus free

Born in Tokyo. Studied music culture at Tokyo Woman's Christian University, and after graduating, worked in the music distribution and download industry, gaining experience as an editor and writer. Has a deep understanding of a wide range of music genres, from rock, J-POP, classical, and metal, and is familiar with major services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

He has written over 300 articles, with a total of 6 million page views. He strives to provide accurate and easy-to-understand information so that readers can enjoy music more conveniently and safely. He currently writes articles for the StreamByte editorial department, focusing on how to use and utilize music download and conversion software.

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