YouTube Music: Music videos can be played in the background without a premium subscription (initially only in Canada)

music streaming platform youtube music It continues to work to remove some of the barriers that users may encounter while streaming. Google Cast support rolled out recently and there’s now a very special feature coming that you previously had to pay for: background music playing.

One of the benefits of YouTube Premium is the ability to play music and videos in the background, which is usually not possible and causes the stream to stop without further tricks. However, especially with music, it’s common that you don’t necessarily want the player to be in front of your eyes all the time and let yourself take a shower. This limitation is understandable insofar as YouTube (music) is financed through ads, and this of course must also be seen and heard.

This update will allow people to continue listening to YouTube Music while using other apps or when the screen is off. Within this, you can interact with the YouTube Music app with an exciting, ad-supported radio-like experience featuring the artists, songs and albums you love, as well as a custom mix on random – all without having to keep the YouTube Music app open on your device.

Canadian users can now play music in the background without having such a subscription. Advertising will of course continue to exist, and it is only assumed that users who listen to music will also listen to commercials. If the beta test is successful in Canada, it can certainly be rolled out globally. It would be a powerful update for YouTube Music, but it’s also a less important reason to get a subscription to the platform.

» YouTube Music: Google Cast support coming to early desktop users (screenshots)

» Android 12 & Material You: New YouTube Music home screen widgets on the way (screenshots)