Edgar Cervantes/Android Authority
TL;DR
- Microsoft has found a solution to restore YouTube background play for non-Premium subscribers.
- The solution is available on the company’s experimental browser, Edge Canary.
- Microsoft has also added audio indicators to the tab card and the option to mute/unmute sites.
In its effort to get more users to sign up for subscriptions, YouTube is becoming increasingly aggressive in closing down workarounds to access premium features. For example, third-party browsers lost the ability to play YouTube videos in the background earlier this year. This was no coincidence, as a Google spokesperson confirmed Android Authority YouTube was updated to prevent non-premium users from accessing the feature. But it seems that at least one of those third-party browsers has now found a solution.
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Ever since the block was put in place, it seems like Microsoft is working hard to find a solution. Spotted by the leaker Leopaeva64The company appears to have restored YouTube background play on its experimental Edge Canary mobile browser. In his social post, the leaker shows a YouTube video that keeps playing despite switching to other tabs or going back to the home screen.
Google recently removed the option to play YouTube videos in the background on third-party mobile browsers (they say it’s a feature only for premium users). Well, Microsoft has found a solution and this option is working again in Edge Canary:https://t.co/E0HPhAdtsB pic.twitter.com/HSFhuHf3oR
Another thing to note is that Microsoft has added audio indicators to tab cards, so you can tell which tab the audio is playing from. This can be seen from the tab switcher. There also appears to be an option to mute or unmute a website from the tab context menu.
Why do you refuse to pay for YouTube Premium?
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