2 Easy Ways to Make YouTube Play in the Background on iPhone & iPad

Keep YouTube video or audio going while you do other things

Written by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: January 27, 2026 Fact Checked

Picture in Picture (Premium Only)

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Background Audio in a Browser

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Video

Do you want to watch or listen to a YouTube video while using other apps on your iPhone or iPad? Unfortunately, the only way to use Picture in Picture while watching YouTube on your iPhone or iPad is to subscribe to YouTube Premium. However, you can still play audio in the background using an easy mobile browser hack. In this article, we’ll teach you how to use PiP with YouTube or keep the audio playing even if you don’t have Premium.

How to Play YouTube in the Background on iOS

If you have YouTube Premium, enable Picture in Picture in your iPhone’s Settings and in the YouTube application’s settings.
Swipe up while playing a video to start PiP. Minimize the video but still listen to audio by dragging the video to either side of your screen.
If you don’t have YouTube Premium, open a YouTube video in a mobile browser. Minimize the video, open the Control Center, and tap Play in the Music control.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Picture in Picture with YouTube Premium

1
Turn on Picture in Picture (PiP) in the
Settings app. If you have a YouTube Premium subscription, you can watch videos while using other apps using the PiP feature. You’ll need to make sure PiP is enabled both in your iPhone’s settings and in the YouTube app to do this. To turn on PiP on your iPhone:
- Open Settings. It’s the app with the grey gear icon on your Home Screen or in the App Library.
- Tap General.
- Select Picture in Picture.
- Check the toggle switch next to Start PiP Automatically. If it’s grey, tap it to enable PiP. The switch should turn green.
2
Enable PiP in the YouTube app. Next, you’ll need to turn on PiP in YouTube’s settings. To do so:
- Launch the YouTube app and tap your user icon in the bottom right corner.
- Tap the
  Settings icon at the top right corner of the page.
- Scroll down and tap Playback. It’s under the Video and audio preferences header.
- If the switch next to Picture-in-Picture is grey, tap it to enable PiP. The switch will turn blue.
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3
Open the video you want to watch in the background. Exit the Settings menu in YouTube and navigate to the video you want to play. Open the video and start playing it.
- Note that PiP doesn’t work for videos that are categorized as “For Kids” or with certain music videos. However, it will work for most videos on YouTube as long as you have a Premium account.
4
Swipe up on YouTube to return to the Home Screen. If you have an iPhone or iPad with a Home Button, tap that to minimize the YouTube app. A thumbnail with your video will remain open on the screen even if you open another app.
- Tap and drag the thumbnail to move it around on the screen.
- Use the playback controls to pause or play the video.
- Tap the X in the top left corner to close the video.
- Tap the icon in the top right corner of the video that looks like two overlapping rectangles to exit PiP mode and return to YouTube.
- If you want to keep playing the audio but get the thumbnail out of the way, drag the video to the right or left side of your screen. You’ll still see a small tab on the side of the screen that you can tap to expand the video again.
If you sign up for YouTube Premium, you can play just music in the background using the YouTube Music app. Download YouTube Music from the App Store, then navigate to a song and start playing it. Swipe up (or hit the Home Button if you have one), and the song will keep playing.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Playing Audio in the Background with a Browser

If you don't subscribe to the Premium version of YouTube, you can still play YouTube audio in the background while you do other things if you use YouTube in a browser. This will work in almost any mobile browser (including Safari, Chrome, and Firefox).
2
Go to www.youtube.com. This loads the YouTube website.
- If the YouTube app launches automatically when you try to open the website, you will need to change your browser settings or use a workaround to prevent this.
  - Safari: Open your iPhone or iPad’s Settings app, go to Apps > Safari, scroll all the way to the bottom, and tap Advanced. Scroll down and tap Feature Flags, then toggle on Verify window.open user gesture. You can also long-press a link to YouTube (e.g., from Google search results) and select the option to open the link in Safari rather than launching the YouTube app.
  - Chrome: Long-press a link to YouTube (e.g., from Google). In the menu that pops up, select the option to open the link in Chrome rather than YouTube.
  - Firefox: Tap the ••• icon at the bottom of the screen in the Firefox app, then tap Settings. Under the General header, select Browsing and toggle on Block Opening External Apps.
Type a video title or artist into the search bar at the top of YouTube, then tap the magnifying glass. A list of matching videos will appear.
The video will begin to play.
5
Go to your iPhone or iPad’s home screen. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to minimize YouTube. If you have an older iPhone or iPad with a Home Button, press the Home Button instead.
- The audio will stop playing, but you'll be able to start it again in just a moment.
If your phone has a Home button, you can do this by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. If you don't have Home button, swipe down from the top-right corner.
7
Tap the play button on the Music shortcut. It’s the triangle pointing to the right. The audio from the video will resume playing. You can now return to the home screen or use other apps without interrupting the audio playback.
- You will not be able to see a thumbnail of the video using this method.
- The next video in the playlist will not play automatically. You’ll need to return to the YouTube page to play another video, reopen the Control Center, and then press Play.