Google appears to have quietly shut down one of the most popular YouTube loopholes on mobile: free background playback through third-party browsers.
For years, Android users have relied on browsers like Samsung Internet, Brave, Vivaldi and Edge to keep YouTube videos playing with the screen off. This effectively sidestepped one of YouTube Premium’s key paywalled features. However, according to growing user reports, that workaround is no longer reliable. In many cases, it’s stopped working altogether.
The change was first spotted by PiunikaWeb, with Samsung Internet users reporting that videos now stop playing just seconds after the screen turns off. Additionally, playback controls briefly appear on the lock screen, then disappear entirely. Similar behaviour has been reported across other third-party browsers. This suggests this isn’t a browser-specific bug but a wider platform change.
Testing shows the behaviour mirrors how YouTube already treats non-Premium users in its official app. If you don’t pay, background play simply isn’t allowed. On the other hand, Premium accounts still retain lock-screen controls and can resume playback as expected, even in third-party browsers. This is a strong hint that YouTube is now actively checking account status rather than relying on app-level restrictions.
The same thing appears to be happening on iOS, too. Safari users report near-identical behaviour, with playback pausing and controls vanishing once the display goes dark.
There’s a small caveat: some Brave users say background play still works intermittently. Results seem inconsistent, with some videos continuing and others cutting out after a few seconds. That suggests Google may still be playing whack-a-mole behind the scenes, but the direction of travel is clear.
Google has since confirmed the change, implying that background playback is meant to be exclusive to YouTube Premium. It has also updated the experience to ensure consistency across platforms.
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