YouTube TV starts slowly rolling out background play on Android and iOS

Andrew Romero | Oct 1 2024 - 7:44 am PT

YouTube TV is finally rolling out a feature that has been available in YouTube as a Premium-only feature – background play. It seems that the ability to listen in the background is being added to both Android and iOS YouTube TV apps.

Background play was one of the most adored features on YouTube. It allows users to lock their phone or tablet or leave the app and continue listening to whatever video they were watching. For some time, that feature has been locked behind YouTube’s Premium subscription, so free users no longer get to enjoy the simple feature.

Considering that YouTube TV has always been a paid service, one would think background play had already made its way to the app.

According to multiple reports from users on Reddit, YouTube TV on Android and iOS has added the background play feature. In YouTube TV’s current version on Android and iOS, users should be able to leave the app or lock their devices and continue listening to the channel that was previously playing.

We’ve successfully tested this feature on Android, though the iOS devices we tested have not yet shown background play in practice. If the reports regarding Apple’s devices are true, then the feature should be rolling out soon.

According to comments in the posts, this feature has been slowly rolling out over the past week. More users are beginning to see background play available now, with some still not seeing it. It seems like this is a gradual rollout that’s picking up some speed, so it wouldn’t be surprising to find it available for everyone within another few weeks.

Has background play rolled out for you in the YouTube TV app? Let us know in the comments!