Hey everyone! I found a cool trick to listen to YouTube while my iPhone screen is off. It’s great for saving battery when I’m working and want to hear documentaries in the background. Here’s what I discovered by accident:
Start playing a YouTube video
Open the Phone app and dial any number
Press the side button to lock your screen while it’s ‘calling’
Press the side button again to see the lock screen
End the call from the lock screen
The video will start playing again
Lock your phone and enjoy the audio!
Bonus tip: To skip ads, just open the lock screen, use the forward button to jump to the next video, then quickly hit back to resume your original video without the ad.
Has anyone else tried this? Let me know if it works for you too!
Thanks for sharing that trick, Mia92! I’ve actually been using a different method that’s worked well for me. Instead of using the Phone app, I’ve found success with the Safari browser. Here’s what I do:
Open YouTube in Safari and start the video
Tap the ‘AA’ icon in the address bar and select ‘Request Desktop Website’
Play the video again, then lock your screen
Swipe down to open the Control Center and hit play
The audio should continue in the background. It’s not perfect - sometimes it stops if you don’t interact for a while, but it’s been pretty reliable for me. Plus, you don’t need to fiddle with fake phone calls. Just thought I’d share another option for folks to try!
I’ve found another method that’s been working consistently for me. It involves using the YouTube mobile site through Safari, but with a slight twist. Here’s what I do:
Close Safari completely (swipe up from bottom to access app switcher, then swipe up on Safari)
Reopen Safari and the video should still be playing
Now you can lock your screen or switch to another app
The audio continues playing in the background. This method doesn’t require any subscriptions or third-party apps. It’s been reliable for me across various iOS versions. Just remember to use the mobile site, not the app. The only downside is you’ll need to repeat the process for each new video, but it’s a small trade-off for free background play.
yo, thx for the tips guys! i found another way that’s slick. use browser instead of safari. it’s got built-in background play for youtube. download it, go to youtube.com, play ur vid, lock the screen. boom, audio keeps goin. no tricks needed. works like a charm for me!