Android users can now play YouTube videos in background for free with Microsoft’s Edge browser update

Microsoft Edge is testing a feature that lets Android users play YouTube videos in the background without needing a Premium subscription. The move could shake up YouTube’s paid model, giving users a free way to enjoy videos while multitasking.

Edge browser brings background YouTube playback to Android, offering a free alternative to the exclusive YouTube Premium feature. (Unsplash)

Android users may no longer need to pay for YouTube Premium just to keep videos playing while their phone is locked or while using other apps. Microsoft is currently testing a new feature in its Edge browser for Android that enables background playback of YouTube videos which is typically exclusive to YouTube's paid subscribers.

The feature was first spotted in the Edge Canary build. It can be switched on by visiting the browser's advanced settings (edge://flags) and enabling the “Video Background Play” flag. Once activated, YouTube videos will continue playing in the background even when you leave the Edge app, open other apps, or lock your device.

To access the feature after enabling the flag, users can head into the browser's settings under “Site settings” and look for the background video playback toggle. Turning it on allows videos from YouTube and other sites to keep playing uninterrupted.

Besides this, Microsoft Edge Canary for Android also gives users the option to enable an ad blocker straight from its first launch. A pop-up prompts users to turn on ad blocking, which removes ads from most sites, including YouTube.

What this means for YouTube

Currently, YouTube Premium remains the official way Google lets people watch ad-free and background videos. The new features in Edge, if they roll out beyond the test (Canary) version, could threaten YouTube's subscription revenue by giving users a free alternative to one of Premium's headline benefits.

This isn't the first time Microsoft and Google have clashed over YouTube. More than a decade ago, Microsoft's YouTube app for Windows Phone bypassed ads and supported downloads, because of which Google blocked it, citing violation of its terms of service. With these new Edge features echoing that playbook by offering capabilities YouTube would rather reserve for paying users or keep behind a paywall, it should be interesting to see how Google responds to this workaround.

For now, users eager to try the new options can install the Edge Canary app on Android and tinker with the experimental settings. Whether this workaround becomes a permanent free perk or is curtailed remains to be seen, but it's an intriguing move in the ongoing browser wars and a development to watch if you want more from YouTube without reaching for your wallet.