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How to Play YouTube Videos After Locking Phone Screen
YouTube is a popular video platform, competing with Facebook, that has an annoying feature: video playback pauses when the phone screen is locked. Last weekend, while playing songs at a gathering, I experienced this issue. I typically lock my screen out of habit, but this causes the song to pause. While I understand that YouTube wants the screen to stay active during videos, there are times when you want to listen to music in the dark or conserve battery by locking the screen.
YouTube’s behavior of keeping the screen active while playing videos can be annoying. It can disturb both you and fellow passengers when you’re traveling overnight on public transport and just want to listen to music. Additionally, it drains a lot of battery. While Google does offer a solution to this problem with YouTube Red subscription, it is only available to a limited number of users in certain locations and it comes with a $10 monthly fee, which can be quite costly. To counter the active screen issue and save battery while enjoying YouTube, we’ve provided two simple methods below.
Using Mozilla Firefox Browser (Android)
To access YouTube on Mozilla Firefox, type in the URL address and select your favorite song. The playback will continue in the background of your locked screen, but you won’t be able to control it from there.
Using Google Chrome Browser (Android)
The same process applies to the Mozilla Firefox browser, with a slight difference. When you lock the screen while watching a video on Chrome, the video playback will pause. However, you can use the play/pause option on the lock screen to resume playback.
There is a catch when using Chrome with YouTube. You need to select “Request desktop site” from the three-dot menu in the top right corner of the browser.
Although we couldn’t get the play/pause button on the lock screen to work without requesting the desktop site on any of our devices at Twothirds.Us, we encourage you to try both methods. If you can use this feature without switching to desktop view, that’s great.
Using Safari Browser (iOS)
The lock screen feature works on Apple Safari, similar to Mozilla Firefox, and provides play/pause options like Google Chrome.
As Fred Humiston, the author behind Twothirds.us, I focus on providing practical and easy-to-follow guides and solutions for a variety of technical issues that people commonly face.
My articles cover a wide range of topics, from troubleshooting out-of-sync audio on TikTok and managing Firestick devices, to understanding the impact of Capcut on video quality and resolving sound issues on Hisense Roku TVs.
I also delve into more general tech tips, like how to block numbers on landlines or use VPNs without Wi-Fi. My goal is to make technology more accessible and less intimidating for everyone, whether you’re a tech novice or a seasoned user. I strive to offer clear, concise, and helpful advice to make your digital experience smoother and more enjoyable.