Update: January 29, 2026 (12:01 PM ET): A Google spokesperson has confirmed to Android Authority that YouTube has been updated so that non-Premium users can no longer access background playback:
Background playback is a feature intended to be exclusive for YouTube Premium members. While some non-Premium users may have previously been able to access this through mobile web browsers in certain scenarios, we have updated the experience to ensure consistency across all our platforms.
Original article: January 28, 2026 (5:39 PM ET): A YouTube Premium subscription not only allows you to avoid ads, but also gives you access to a variety of benefits. However, there are ways to get around YouTube’s paywall to access these features for free. This usually includes turning to a browser that’s not Chrome and using ad blockers. Those who use these workarounds are now reporting that one commonly used feature is now broken.