YouTube: Screen off - playback still possible?

Whoever uses YouTube on a mobile device knows the problem: As soon as the app is closed or the screen is turned off, playback is also stopped. That's pretty inconvenient, especially when you're on the go. We clarify whether there is a way to change this.

YouTube always wants to be in the foreground, but this can be cleverly circumvented.

Do you often watch YouTube on the go, the paid subscription of the popular video platform can be worthwhile. Because among the features is that YouTube plays videos when the screen is off. To try it out, you can test YouTube Premium for free.

YouTube: Screen off? No problem for Chrome

First things first: in the YouTube app, it's not possible to resume playback when the screen is off. But with the mobile browser, there is a trick. Here are the steps needed for Chrome users:

1. Open youtube.com.
2. Click the icon with the three dots in the top right corner of the Chrome menu.
3. Select "Request desktop version".
4. Start the desired video.
5. Go back to the homescreen.
6. On top of the status bar, you can now tap the "Play" button.

The video will then continue, although the page is no longer open. If you still prefer to use YouTube via app, there is an alternative: Download "OGYouTube" for free. Dabei handelt es sich um eine Art Klon, der auf alle YouTube-Inhalte zugreift, aber spezielle Funktionen wie die Wiedergabe bei ausgeschaltetem Bildschirm erlaubt.