Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL; DR
- Microsoft has found a solution to restore YouTube background playback for non-Premium subscribers.
- The solution is available in Edge Canary, the company’s experimental browser.
- Microsoft has also added audio indicators to tab cards and an option to mute/unmute sites.
In an attempt to get more users to sign up for a subscription, YouTube has become increasingly aggressive in blocking solutions to access Premium features. For example, third-party browsers lost the ability to play YouTube videos in the background earlier this year. This was not a coincidence A Google spokesperson confirmed for Android Authority YouTube said it has been updated to prevent non-premium users from accessing the feature. But it seems that at least one of these third-party browsers has found a solution.
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Since the block was put in place, it looks like Microsoft has been working hard to find a solution. It was mentioned by the leaker Leopeva64it seems the company has restored YouTube background playback in the experimental Edge Canary mobile browser. On social sharing, the leaker shows a YouTube video that continues to play despite switching to other tabs or returning to the home screen.
Google recently removed the option to play YouTube videos in the background on third-party mobile browsers (they say it’s a feature only for Premium users). Well, Microsoft has found a solution and this option works again in Edge Canary:https://t.co/E0HPhAdtsB pic.twitter.com/HSFhuHf3oR
Another thing to note is that Microsoft has added audio indicators to the tab card, so you can tell which tab the sound is coming from. This can be seen from the tab switcher. There also appears to be an option to mute or unmute the website from the tab context menu.
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