Edge Browser Might Let You Ditch YouTube Premium for Background Play
I stumbled upon something pretty neat recently – a potential way to ditch YouTube Premium and still enjoy background playback on my Android phone. As someone who often listens to YouTube videos while working or commuting, the idea of saving money on a subscription is definitely appealing.
Apparently, Microsoft is experimenting with a new feature in the Edge Canary browser for Android that allows you to play videos, including those from YouTube, in the background. So, even if you switch apps, browse other sites in Edge, or even lock your phone, the video keeps playing its audio. It's like having a built-in YouTube Premium perk, but without the monthly fee!
To get this going, you need to download Microsoft Edge Canary, type edge://flags in the search field, and press Enter. Then, search for Video Background Play and choose Enabled from its status drop-down menu. After that, restart the browser. Next, head back to the Microsoft Edge homepage, tap the hamburger icon at the bottom-right corner, and choose Settings. Then, select Site settings > Background video playback and enable the Background video playback toggle.
What’s also interesting is that Edge Canary prompts you to enable an ad blocker. Imagine watching YouTube without those pesky interruptions – it’s a tempting proposition, especially considering how frequently ads appear these days.
Now, I am wondering if Google will step in and block this feature, like it did with Microsoft’s ad-free YouTube app for Windows Phone back in 2013. It seems like Google is not interested to allow a way of by passing their monetization, so I'll be curious to see how this plays out.
Source: AndroidAuthority