There is a (very) hidden trick on the iPhone that allows Play YouTube videos in the background. It is not through any internet browser, nor is it through the YouTube app and we do not need to subscribe to YouTube Premium. This trick is possible to an app that you did not expect to see around here: WhatsApp. So if you want to know how you can do it too, here we explain it to you step by step.
Watch YouTube videos in the background with this trick
Before we begin, we want to point out some important aspects. To begin with, we have done this on an iPhone with iOS 16.2 installed, and with WhatsApp application version 23.5.78. This update is the one that already incorporates the PiP mode in video calls, so that the video does not pause if we leave WhatsApp during a video call.
But also. You have to do an exercise in honesty: we don’t know for sure if this is a bug, if it is something that WhatsApp has designed on purpose, or if it has been a coincidence. But the truth is that we have tried it, and it works. Of course, we must bear in mind that this may not work for you if you have an older version of iOS or WhatsApp, since it is a trick that we ourselves did not even know was possible. And although it may seem that it is something very convoluted, the truth is that It’s an extremely simple trick.. And here we are going to tell you about the method that we use, which is the one that is working for us.
Videos in the background: step by step
The first thing to do is go to the YouTube application. There we are going to select the video we want, and we are going to copy its link. Once we have it, we open the WhatsApp application and go to the chat we want. We paste the link and wait for us to the preview appears before sending it as a message.
When we have the preview, we send the message. Here we will see that the chat balloon appears with a link below, and with an image of the video above. We have to click on the video image, and it will start playing in a floating window. This window will be available within the WhatsApp application. But, what if we lock the phone or exit the app? Here the trick begins.
The first option is to play the video in the background without locking the phone. To do this we leave the WhatsApp window (without closing the app) and when we are on the main screen, we lowered the notification bar and we will see a playback box. In addition, the video will be stopped. But if we press the Play button, we have the video that will already be playing in the background.
The second option is to play the video in the background with the iPhone locked. In this case, what we most recommend is that, when you have the floating window open in WhatsApp, you lock the iPhone by pressing the side button. When we block it, the video will be paused. But again, if we tap on the screen, we’ll see the notification center locked, along with the media player. We have to press the play buttonand the YouTube video will start playing in the background.
