Jorge Maroto

iOSshortcutsyoutube

Using Youtube on iOS while the screen is off

By Jorge Maroto · · 1 min read

Some months ago Youtube presented Youtube Premium, a subscription plan that, among other features, lets you keep playing videos in the background (while you're using another app or after you turn off the screen).

This easy tweak will let you keep watching YouTube videos in the background as you did in the past, all without jailbreaking your iPhone / iPad.

TL;DR; using Youtube BG shortcut, you will be able to play YouTube videos in the background from the "Share" menu in the YouTube app.

Requirements

  1. Install Shortcuts app from the App Store.
  2. In the official YouTube app, tap the three dots to open "Share", then tap the More button on the bottom right, and again More in the share menu.

3.  Install the Youtube BG shortcut by tapping here.

** Note: if the video's sound stops, you can press play from the bottom menu (as when you change a song in Spotify), and it will play in the background.

How it works

Thanks to youtube-dl, I get the raw video URL, and using the iOS app Shortcuts, you can run the whole flow from the share menu of the official YouTube app.