Charting Out Your Audience: YouTube’s Blueprint

How to See Your Subscribers on YouTube?

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In this article, we will show you how to simply check your list of subscribers on YouTube and how to use that information to gain more subscribers.

1. How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List
2. How to See Which of Your Subscribers are Most Popular
3. How to See Other People’s Subscribers

A YouTube channel is like a small, or not so small, community of like-minded people who share an interest in a topic. Growing and developing your channel will require you to know who your subscribers are because when you understand who the people that support your work are you can better tailor your content to them and get more subscribers for YouTube.

Click here to learn how to subscribe on YouTube.

Part 1: How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List?

Finding out who your subscribers are on YouTube is a simple process that takes a minimum amount of time and effort.

1. In order to do so, you first need to go to your channel’s home page and then click on the Creator Studio icon located in the upper right corner of the screen next to your profile picture.

You can also access the Creator Studio by clicking on your icon in the top right corner of any screen on YouTube and selecting it from the drop-down menu.

2. Once the Creator Studio opens, you’ll be able to see different menus such as Analytics and Video Manager.

3. You’ll need to click on the Community menu, which provides insight into messages or comments among other things.

4. Select the Subscribers option from the menu and wait for the list of the subscribers to appear on your screen. You’ll be able to see a list of YouTube users that have subscribed to your channel.

Constantly checking the list of subscribers is a great way to keep track of new subscribers to your channel, which is important if you want to know how many new subscribers you got within a day or a week.

If you would like to go through a more detailed tutorial about how to see who your subscribers are, click here and learn each step of this simple process.

If you’re using YouTube Studio, you can go to the Recent subscribers card on the Dashboard, and then click SEE ALL to check the list of the recent subscribers.

Part 2: How to See Which of Your Subscribers are the Most Popular

The list of subscribers to your channel offered by YouTube’s Creator Studio can be used for a variety of different purposes. You can compare your channel to channels with a similar number of subscribers, or you can find out how many users that have subscribed to your channel have around the same (or even more) subscribers than you do. If you are thinking about creating a collab video , your list of subscribers can be a great source of potential partners.

So in order to see which of your subscribers are the most popular, you simply need to change the settings in the Subscribers panel from most recent to most popular.

Part 3: How to See Other People’s Subscribers

Seeing the list of subscribers on other people’s channels is no longer possible on YouTube, even though it was a common feature in the past.

What you can do is select one of your subscribers from the subscriber list on your channel, and go to their channel and then click on the About option that will show you the number of subscribers and the total number of views to the channel (or use one of these tools to see the sub count of any channel in real-time ).

Unfortunately, YouTube channel owners can no longer browse through other people’s subscribers and for that reason, their interactions with potential subscribers are somewhat limited.

If you want to get more subscribers, you must consider your channel’s branding. Want to improve your branding? Click here to see examples from popular channels that have nailed their brand.

Touch Up Your YouTube Videos with Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects, so you don’t have to look somewhere else.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In this article, we will show you how to simply check your list of subscribers on YouTube and how to use that information to gain more subscribers.

1. How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List
2. How to See Which of Your Subscribers are Most Popular
3. How to See Other People’s Subscribers

A YouTube channel is like a small, or not so small, community of like-minded people who share an interest in a topic. Growing and developing your channel will require you to know who your subscribers are because when you understand who the people that support your work are you can better tailor your content to them and get more subscribers for YouTube.

Click here to learn how to subscribe on YouTube.

Part 1: How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List?

Finding out who your subscribers are on YouTube is a simple process that takes a minimum amount of time and effort.

1. In order to do so, you first need to go to your channel’s home page and then click on the Creator Studio icon located in the upper right corner of the screen next to your profile picture.

You can also access the Creator Studio by clicking on your icon in the top right corner of any screen on YouTube and selecting it from the drop-down menu.

2. Once the Creator Studio opens, you’ll be able to see different menus such as Analytics and Video Manager.

3. You’ll need to click on the Community menu, which provides insight into messages or comments among other things.

4. Select the Subscribers option from the menu and wait for the list of the subscribers to appear on your screen. You’ll be able to see a list of YouTube users that have subscribed to your channel.

Constantly checking the list of subscribers is a great way to keep track of new subscribers to your channel, which is important if you want to know how many new subscribers you got within a day or a week.

If you would like to go through a more detailed tutorial about how to see who your subscribers are, click here and learn each step of this simple process.

If you’re using YouTube Studio, you can go to the Recent subscribers card on the Dashboard, and then click SEE ALL to check the list of the recent subscribers.

Part 2: How to See Which of Your Subscribers are the Most Popular

The list of subscribers to your channel offered by YouTube’s Creator Studio can be used for a variety of different purposes. You can compare your channel to channels with a similar number of subscribers, or you can find out how many users that have subscribed to your channel have around the same (or even more) subscribers than you do. If you are thinking about creating a collab video , your list of subscribers can be a great source of potential partners.

So in order to see which of your subscribers are the most popular, you simply need to change the settings in the Subscribers panel from most recent to most popular.

Part 3: How to See Other People’s Subscribers

Seeing the list of subscribers on other people’s channels is no longer possible on YouTube, even though it was a common feature in the past.

What you can do is select one of your subscribers from the subscriber list on your channel, and go to their channel and then click on the About option that will show you the number of subscribers and the total number of views to the channel (or use one of these tools to see the sub count of any channel in real-time ).

Unfortunately, YouTube channel owners can no longer browse through other people’s subscribers and for that reason, their interactions with potential subscribers are somewhat limited.

If you want to get more subscribers, you must consider your channel’s branding. Want to improve your branding? Click here to see examples from popular channels that have nailed their brand.

Touch Up Your YouTube Videos with Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects, so you don’t have to look somewhere else.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In this article, we will show you how to simply check your list of subscribers on YouTube and how to use that information to gain more subscribers.

1. How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List
2. How to See Which of Your Subscribers are Most Popular
3. How to See Other People’s Subscribers

A YouTube channel is like a small, or not so small, community of like-minded people who share an interest in a topic. Growing and developing your channel will require you to know who your subscribers are because when you understand who the people that support your work are you can better tailor your content to them and get more subscribers for YouTube.

Click here to learn how to subscribe on YouTube.

Part 1: How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List?

Finding out who your subscribers are on YouTube is a simple process that takes a minimum amount of time and effort.

1. In order to do so, you first need to go to your channel’s home page and then click on the Creator Studio icon located in the upper right corner of the screen next to your profile picture.

You can also access the Creator Studio by clicking on your icon in the top right corner of any screen on YouTube and selecting it from the drop-down menu.

2. Once the Creator Studio opens, you’ll be able to see different menus such as Analytics and Video Manager.

3. You’ll need to click on the Community menu, which provides insight into messages or comments among other things.

4. Select the Subscribers option from the menu and wait for the list of the subscribers to appear on your screen. You’ll be able to see a list of YouTube users that have subscribed to your channel.

Constantly checking the list of subscribers is a great way to keep track of new subscribers to your channel, which is important if you want to know how many new subscribers you got within a day or a week.

If you would like to go through a more detailed tutorial about how to see who your subscribers are, click here and learn each step of this simple process.

If you’re using YouTube Studio, you can go to the Recent subscribers card on the Dashboard, and then click SEE ALL to check the list of the recent subscribers.

Part 2: How to See Which of Your Subscribers are the Most Popular

The list of subscribers to your channel offered by YouTube’s Creator Studio can be used for a variety of different purposes. You can compare your channel to channels with a similar number of subscribers, or you can find out how many users that have subscribed to your channel have around the same (or even more) subscribers than you do. If you are thinking about creating a collab video , your list of subscribers can be a great source of potential partners.

So in order to see which of your subscribers are the most popular, you simply need to change the settings in the Subscribers panel from most recent to most popular.

Part 3: How to See Other People’s Subscribers

Seeing the list of subscribers on other people’s channels is no longer possible on YouTube, even though it was a common feature in the past.

What you can do is select one of your subscribers from the subscriber list on your channel, and go to their channel and then click on the About option that will show you the number of subscribers and the total number of views to the channel (or use one of these tools to see the sub count of any channel in real-time ).

Unfortunately, YouTube channel owners can no longer browse through other people’s subscribers and for that reason, their interactions with potential subscribers are somewhat limited.

If you want to get more subscribers, you must consider your channel’s branding. Want to improve your branding? Click here to see examples from popular channels that have nailed their brand.

Touch Up Your YouTube Videos with Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects, so you don’t have to look somewhere else.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

In this article, we will show you how to simply check your list of subscribers on YouTube and how to use that information to gain more subscribers.

1. How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List
2. How to See Which of Your Subscribers are Most Popular
3. How to See Other People’s Subscribers

A YouTube channel is like a small, or not so small, community of like-minded people who share an interest in a topic. Growing and developing your channel will require you to know who your subscribers are because when you understand who the people that support your work are you can better tailor your content to them and get more subscribers for YouTube.

Click here to learn how to subscribe on YouTube.

Part 1: How to See Your YouTube Subscribers List?

Finding out who your subscribers are on YouTube is a simple process that takes a minimum amount of time and effort.

1. In order to do so, you first need to go to your channel’s home page and then click on the Creator Studio icon located in the upper right corner of the screen next to your profile picture.

You can also access the Creator Studio by clicking on your icon in the top right corner of any screen on YouTube and selecting it from the drop-down menu.

2. Once the Creator Studio opens, you’ll be able to see different menus such as Analytics and Video Manager.

3. You’ll need to click on the Community menu, which provides insight into messages or comments among other things.

4. Select the Subscribers option from the menu and wait for the list of the subscribers to appear on your screen. You’ll be able to see a list of YouTube users that have subscribed to your channel.

Constantly checking the list of subscribers is a great way to keep track of new subscribers to your channel, which is important if you want to know how many new subscribers you got within a day or a week.

If you would like to go through a more detailed tutorial about how to see who your subscribers are, click here and learn each step of this simple process.

If you’re using YouTube Studio, you can go to the Recent subscribers card on the Dashboard, and then click SEE ALL to check the list of the recent subscribers.

Part 2: How to See Which of Your Subscribers are the Most Popular

The list of subscribers to your channel offered by YouTube’s Creator Studio can be used for a variety of different purposes. You can compare your channel to channels with a similar number of subscribers, or you can find out how many users that have subscribed to your channel have around the same (or even more) subscribers than you do. If you are thinking about creating a collab video , your list of subscribers can be a great source of potential partners.

So in order to see which of your subscribers are the most popular, you simply need to change the settings in the Subscribers panel from most recent to most popular.

Part 3: How to See Other People’s Subscribers

Seeing the list of subscribers on other people’s channels is no longer possible on YouTube, even though it was a common feature in the past.

What you can do is select one of your subscribers from the subscriber list on your channel, and go to their channel and then click on the About option that will show you the number of subscribers and the total number of views to the channel (or use one of these tools to see the sub count of any channel in real-time ).

Unfortunately, YouTube channel owners can no longer browse through other people’s subscribers and for that reason, their interactions with potential subscribers are somewhat limited.

If you want to get more subscribers, you must consider your channel’s branding. Want to improve your branding? Click here to see examples from popular channels that have nailed their brand.

Touch Up Your YouTube Videos with Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects, so you don’t have to look somewhere else.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

IOS & Android Tips for Silent YouTube Viewing

How to Play YouTube in Background on iPhone and Android

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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