Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
A couple of days ago, Microsoft Edge’s latest Canary version added a new and very intriguing feature: video background playback. While the feature seemed cool and innocuous at first glance, we discovered that it could be used to play YouTube videos in the background without paying for a Premium subscription. Better yet, Microsoft Edge also has a built-in ad-blocker that can remove ads while watching YouTube. A plus B equal the two most useful perks from a YouTube Premium subscription can now be had for free with Edge.
This all sounds too good to be true, so I immediately put it to the test to see how well it works. It actually does. I played several videos without encountering a single ad, and switched back and forth between tabs and apps, without breaking a sweat; the video kept going in the background. I even turned my screen off, and the video continued playing.
Background audio playback on Edge Canary Microsoft Edge ad blocking YouTube video playing in the background from Edge Canary
But even if I can have all of the above for free, I’ll still keep my YouTube subscription. Here’s why.
Do you play YouTube in the background using browser hacks like Brave, Samsung Internet, and Edge? 59 votes Yes, I have for a while now. 32 % I just learned about this and I'll start using it. 7 % No, I have another hack/workaround for YouTube. 17 % No, I have a Premium subcription. 31 % No, I have no need for this feature. 14 %
I watch YouTube on more than just one phone
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Whenever I come across an ad-free, background playback-enabled, and sometimes even download-capable YouTube hack for free, my immediate question is: Does it work across all platforms? Because if not, then it’s useless to me.
I watch YouTube in the browser on my computer when I’m working, on my phone(s) when I’m on the go, and on my Google TV Streamer when I’m at home. Because of my work here on Android Authority, I also switch between a dozen phones and tablets during any given week. So any Premium hack, be it using the Brave browser, an ad-blocker, ReVanced, or whatever other underground alternative is hot these days, has to work across all of my platforms and all of my devices. If I’m spending precious time setting it up on everything I use and troubleshooting it, it’s not worth it for me.
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