How To Run Youtube While Using Other Apps On Your Mobile

You can use YouTube at the same time as other apps by taking advantage of Background Play and picture-in-picture mode.

Are you frustrated with YouTube constantly halting playback when you exit the app? Whether you’re listening to a podcast or watching a video, you may want to continue playback even as you use other apps.

In this guide, I will show you how to set up picture-in-picture, or PiP, so you can use YouTube even while playing other apps, as well as how to continue background audio when exiting YouTube.

Verify Requirements and Account Limitations First

PiP, or picture-in-picture, is a way to view an app over other apps. When you use YouTube in PiP mode, you will be able to watch the video in a small window in the bottom corner of your screen. This will be overlaid on top of other apps, so you can continue watching your favorite content uninterrupted.

First, though, you will need to check your eligibility for PiP. If you are in the United States and using an Android, you can use PiP for most content, but not all. For example, music videos do not support PiP and will not allow playback in PiP mode. For those restricted videos, you will need to upgrade to YouTube Premium.

In all other countries, or if you have an iPhone or iPad, all videos only support PiP if you have YouTube Premium. Otherwise, you cannot use the PiP feature. Furthermore, if you have an iPhone or iPad, you need iOS 15 or later.

YouTube Premium is a premium monthly subscription that gives you access to an upgraded experience on YouTube, including no ads, the ability to download videos for offline playback, and the ability to play YouTube in the background.

Enable and Use Picture-in-Picture on Android

YouTube’s picture-in-picture mode is available in the US and for subscribers of YouTube Premium.

First, you will need to turn on PiP in your Android settings. Go to Settings > Apps > Special app access > Picture-in-picture > YouTube and toggle it to Allowed. You can also find YouTube in the list of apps under Settings > Apps, then scroll to Advanced and enable Picture-in-picture.

Next, in your YouTube app settings, go to General and then toggle on Picture-in-Picture.

To use PiP, just press on the home screen option while watching a YouTube video or tap a notification from your notification bar that leads you to another app. Your YouTube video will be resized and play in a small window at the bottom.

Enable and Use Picture-in-Picture on iPhone/iPad

To enable PiP on iOS, navigate to your iOS Settings > General > Picture-in-picture and toggle Start PiP Automatically on.

Next, in your YouTube app settings, go to General and then toggle on Picture-in-Picture.

To use PiP, navigate to the home screen while a YouTube video is playing or click on a WhatsApp message or another notification that will open up another app.

Use Background Audio With YouTube Premium

To listen to YouTube music videos in the background, you will need to have YouTube Premium.

Background Play is a bit different from PiP; instead of a window displaying the video, the audio will play in the background. It’s available for music videos, podcasts, and other videos if you have YouTube Premium. However, it’s not available for YouTube Shorts.

To enable Background Play, open your YouTube app and navigate to Settings > Background Play. Choose either “Always On” if you want it to always be on or “Headphones or external speakers” if you want Background Play to only be enabled when you are using headphones or external speakers.

Note that if you only want to listen to music, YouTube Premium also comes with YouTube Music. YouTube Music is a separate app that only contains music, and it supports background play and offline music (if you download songs). You may need to download it from the app store separately.

Consider Split-Screen Mode as an Alternative

Even if you don’t have YouTube Premium or can’t use PiP mode, you can use YouTube in split-screen mode.

The good news is that even if you don’t have YouTube Premium and can’t access PiP features, you can still use YouTube in split-screen mode. On an Android, open the recent apps tray and click on the small arrow next to YouTube to open up additional options. There, you will see the option to add it to split-screen mode.

Then, open another app, and you will be able to use both YouTube and the other app side by side on the same screen.

Some phones may support other gestures to enable split-screen mode as well, such as swiping up with three fingers when using YouTube. Open your phone’s settings and search for “split screen” to enable these gestures, if available.

Note that split-screen mode is only available on Android and not supported on iOS.

Troubleshoot PiP/Background Issues

If you are having difficulty getting PiP or Background Play to work, try the following fixes:

Make sure PiP is enabled in your phone’s settings.
Make sure PiP and Background Play are enabled in your YouTube settings.
If Background Play is not working when not using headphones, make sure it’s enabled all the time, not just when connected to headphones or external speakers.
If you are outside the US and PiP is not working, you might need to pay for YouTube Premium. The same applies for certain content, like music videos, within the US. Check that your YouTube Premium subscription is active and payment has not failed.
Upgrade the YouTube app and your phone’s operating system.
Clear the cache from YouTube.
Restart your phone.
Allow YouTube to have unrestricted access to background play and data usage; disable battery optimizations and data limits for YouTube.

Conclusion

I hope this guide was useful! You can listen to YouTube in the background if you have YouTube Premium. You can also use YouTube in picture-in-picture mode if you have YouTube Premium or are watching certain content within the US. It’s a great way to multitask and listen to podcasts or watch content on the go!