Google has confirmed it is intentionally blocking background playback for non-Premium users of YouTube on all mobile browsers.
The news broke after users claimed online that their YouTube audio stopped playing when their browser was minimised or the screen was locked, a feature that they said they had experienced on browsers like Brave and Samsung Internet.
"Background playback is a feature intended to be exclusive for YouTube Premium members. While some non-Premium users may have previously been able to access this through mobile web browsers... we have updated the experience to ensure consistency across all our platforms," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.
The change shuts down a long-standing workaround that allowed users to listen to YouTube audio with their screens locked or browsers minimised without a paid subscription.
Emmanuel Umahi
For a while now, Android users could bypass YouTube's paywall by using browsers like Samsung Internet, Brave, or Microsoft Edge. These browsers allowed audio to continue playing even when the screen was locked or the app was minimised.
Some users reported seeing a system notification labelled “MediaOngoingActivity” before the audio cuts out entirely, which is common when actively checking for Premium status before authorizing the background session. This affects all non-Premium accounts across all major third-party mobile browsers.
While Google says this move is about consistency, the business motive is obvious. Because this move is directly tied to protecting the value of YouTube Premium, which recently surpassed 125 million subscribers globally, and background play is one of its most important features.
Emmanuel Umahi
