Expert Tips for Memorable YouTube Names

Best YouTube Names Generators [+ How to Brainstorm]

Liza Brown

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

It’s important to have a good name for your YouTube channel – something that people will remember. The following is a list of the 3 best YouTube name generators, an easy step-by-step for brainstorming, and instructions for updating your YouTube name.

Whether you’re a YouTuber beginner or want to improve your YouTube videos to the next level, a good YouTube video editing software will be a good helper. Wondershare Filmora is a video editor for all YouTube creators with plentiful effects and templates, and you can download it directly and have a try before purchasing.

---

1. YouTube Name Generators
2. How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name
3. How to Change Your YouTube Name
4. Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Part 1: 3 Awesome YouTube Name Generators

Need some help brainstorming your channel name? Here are 3 tools for getting started. Even if you don’t use one of the names you generate you’ll get some great inspiration.

1. SpinXO

Key points:

- Lots of options

- Checks availability

This is a great generator. If you were brainstorming yourself, you’d probably write out a bunch of words related to yourself and the kinds of videos you want to make and see what goes together. SpinXO does that for you, and mixes in other words that sound good in usernames.

Here’s what happened when I tried to name a hypothetical baking channel:

Not all of the results are great, but there are some cool sounding options in there.

One of the most useful features of SpinXO is that you can check the availability of the usernames. I liked the sound of CupcakesCupola, and when I clicked on it I was able to see that nobody else was using it on other sites.

2. Name Generator

Key points:

- Can be hilarious

- Names tend to be a bit long

This is a fairly limited generator. You plunk in a prefix and a suffix, and it generates a random word or term to stuff between them. Here’s what I got for my fictional cupcake channel:

So, on one hand - that’s hilarious and I’m considering legally changing my name. On the other hand, all of the results look exactly like this (which means they’re all a bit too long). It shows you a longer list if you scroll down:

You can pick your favorite names and it’ll list them out so you can easily copy them into a word document. That’ll be useful if you’re collecting options from several sites.

3. Username Generator

Key points:

- Can generate a huge number of names at once

- You only input one word

For this name generator, you type in one important word and choose how many results you want to see. You can see up to 300 at once.

The generator will take your keyword and add endings (and occasional beginnings) to it. Some endings are words, and some are just suffixes. Here’s what I got:

Part 2: How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name – 3 Easy Steps

The name of your YouTube channel needs to accomplish two things:

1. Tell viewers what your channel is about
2. Stick in viewer’s heads by being catchy and unique

Here’s how you can brainstorm the perfect name for your channel!

Step 1: Gather up relevant words

Open up a journal (or a word document) and start writing down words that relate to you and your channel.

You may want to make one list of ‘you’ words (personality traits, nicknames, titles, etc.) and another of words related to your channel’s category (i.e. gaming, makeup, or baking).

Step 2: Combinations

Start combining your ‘you’ words with your category words to see what sounds good. You may want to use one of the name generators above (anchor) for this part.

Try to keep your name fairly short (3 words or less) so it’s easier for people to remember. Don’t include numbers if you can avoid it.

Step 3: Say it out loud

Once you have a shortlist of potential names, read them aloud to yourself to make sure they sound good. Ideally, you want to get that ‘oh, that has a nice ring to it!’ feeling.

Part 3: How to Change Your YouTube Name

In the early days of YouTube, you couldn’t change your name, but now you can!

1. Click on your account icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose settings.
2. Click Edit on Google.
3. Update your name and click OK.

Part 4: Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Here are several types of YouTube channel URL , wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of a string of numbers and letters, your channel URL included your name? YouTube can do that for you!

You need…

1. 100 Subscribers
2. to have been on YouTube for 30 days
3. use a photo as your channel icon/profile picture
4. have uploaded channel art

Here’s how to get your custom URL:

1. Click on your icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose Advanced under Settings / the gear icon.
2. If you meet the qualifications above, you’ll see ‘You’re eligible for a custom URL’ under Channel Settings.
3. YouTube will show you the custom URL you’re approved for in the Get a custom URL box. You can’t change what’s there, but you can add to the end of it.
4. Click Change URL after reading the terms of use.

You can delete your custom URL and claim a new one, but doing this might be confusing for your followers.

If you already have a YouTube channel name – are you happy with it? How did you choose it?

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

It’s important to have a good name for your YouTube channel – something that people will remember. The following is a list of the 3 best YouTube name generators, an easy step-by-step for brainstorming, and instructions for updating your YouTube name.

Whether you’re a YouTuber beginner or want to improve your YouTube videos to the next level, a good YouTube video editing software will be a good helper. Wondershare Filmora is a video editor for all YouTube creators with plentiful effects and templates, and you can download it directly and have a try before purchasing.

---

1. YouTube Name Generators
2. How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name
3. How to Change Your YouTube Name
4. Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Part 1: 3 Awesome YouTube Name Generators

Need some help brainstorming your channel name? Here are 3 tools for getting started. Even if you don’t use one of the names you generate you’ll get some great inspiration.

1. SpinXO

Key points:

- Lots of options

- Checks availability

This is a great generator. If you were brainstorming yourself, you’d probably write out a bunch of words related to yourself and the kinds of videos you want to make and see what goes together. SpinXO does that for you, and mixes in other words that sound good in usernames.

Here’s what happened when I tried to name a hypothetical baking channel:

Not all of the results are great, but there are some cool sounding options in there.

One of the most useful features of SpinXO is that you can check the availability of the usernames. I liked the sound of CupcakesCupola, and when I clicked on it I was able to see that nobody else was using it on other sites.

2. Name Generator

Key points:

- Can be hilarious

- Names tend to be a bit long

This is a fairly limited generator. You plunk in a prefix and a suffix, and it generates a random word or term to stuff between them. Here’s what I got for my fictional cupcake channel:

So, on one hand - that’s hilarious and I’m considering legally changing my name. On the other hand, all of the results look exactly like this (which means they’re all a bit too long). It shows you a longer list if you scroll down:

You can pick your favorite names and it’ll list them out so you can easily copy them into a word document. That’ll be useful if you’re collecting options from several sites.

3. Username Generator

Key points:

- Can generate a huge number of names at once

- You only input one word

For this name generator, you type in one important word and choose how many results you want to see. You can see up to 300 at once.

The generator will take your keyword and add endings (and occasional beginnings) to it. Some endings are words, and some are just suffixes. Here’s what I got:

Part 2: How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name – 3 Easy Steps

The name of your YouTube channel needs to accomplish two things:

1. Tell viewers what your channel is about
2. Stick in viewer’s heads by being catchy and unique

Here’s how you can brainstorm the perfect name for your channel!

Step 1: Gather up relevant words

Open up a journal (or a word document) and start writing down words that relate to you and your channel.

You may want to make one list of ‘you’ words (personality traits, nicknames, titles, etc.) and another of words related to your channel’s category (i.e. gaming, makeup, or baking).

Step 2: Combinations

Start combining your ‘you’ words with your category words to see what sounds good. You may want to use one of the name generators above (anchor) for this part.

Try to keep your name fairly short (3 words or less) so it’s easier for people to remember. Don’t include numbers if you can avoid it.

Step 3: Say it out loud

Once you have a shortlist of potential names, read them aloud to yourself to make sure they sound good. Ideally, you want to get that ‘oh, that has a nice ring to it!’ feeling.

Part 3: How to Change Your YouTube Name

In the early days of YouTube, you couldn’t change your name, but now you can!

1. Click on your account icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose settings.
2. Click Edit on Google.
3. Update your name and click OK.

Part 4: Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Here are several types of YouTube channel URL , wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of a string of numbers and letters, your channel URL included your name? YouTube can do that for you!

You need…

1. 100 Subscribers
2. to have been on YouTube for 30 days
3. use a photo as your channel icon/profile picture
4. have uploaded channel art

Here’s how to get your custom URL:

1. Click on your icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose Advanced under Settings / the gear icon.
2. If you meet the qualifications above, you’ll see ‘You’re eligible for a custom URL’ under Channel Settings.
3. YouTube will show you the custom URL you’re approved for in the Get a custom URL box. You can’t change what’s there, but you can add to the end of it.
4. Click Change URL after reading the terms of use.

You can delete your custom URL and claim a new one, but doing this might be confusing for your followers.

If you already have a YouTube channel name – are you happy with it? How did you choose it?

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

It’s important to have a good name for your YouTube channel – something that people will remember. The following is a list of the 3 best YouTube name generators, an easy step-by-step for brainstorming, and instructions for updating your YouTube name.

Whether you’re a YouTuber beginner or want to improve your YouTube videos to the next level, a good YouTube video editing software will be a good helper. Wondershare Filmora is a video editor for all YouTube creators with plentiful effects and templates, and you can download it directly and have a try before purchasing.

---

1. YouTube Name Generators
2. How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name
3. How to Change Your YouTube Name
4. Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Part 1: 3 Awesome YouTube Name Generators

Need some help brainstorming your channel name? Here are 3 tools for getting started. Even if you don’t use one of the names you generate you’ll get some great inspiration.

1. SpinXO

Key points:

- Lots of options

- Checks availability

This is a great generator. If you were brainstorming yourself, you’d probably write out a bunch of words related to yourself and the kinds of videos you want to make and see what goes together. SpinXO does that for you, and mixes in other words that sound good in usernames.

Here’s what happened when I tried to name a hypothetical baking channel:

Not all of the results are great, but there are some cool sounding options in there.

One of the most useful features of SpinXO is that you can check the availability of the usernames. I liked the sound of CupcakesCupola, and when I clicked on it I was able to see that nobody else was using it on other sites.

2. Name Generator

Key points:

- Can be hilarious

- Names tend to be a bit long

This is a fairly limited generator. You plunk in a prefix and a suffix, and it generates a random word or term to stuff between them. Here’s what I got for my fictional cupcake channel:

So, on one hand - that’s hilarious and I’m considering legally changing my name. On the other hand, all of the results look exactly like this (which means they’re all a bit too long). It shows you a longer list if you scroll down:

You can pick your favorite names and it’ll list them out so you can easily copy them into a word document. That’ll be useful if you’re collecting options from several sites.

3. Username Generator

Key points:

- Can generate a huge number of names at once

- You only input one word

For this name generator, you type in one important word and choose how many results you want to see. You can see up to 300 at once.

The generator will take your keyword and add endings (and occasional beginnings) to it. Some endings are words, and some are just suffixes. Here’s what I got:

Part 2: How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name – 3 Easy Steps

The name of your YouTube channel needs to accomplish two things:

1. Tell viewers what your channel is about
2. Stick in viewer’s heads by being catchy and unique

Here’s how you can brainstorm the perfect name for your channel!

Step 1: Gather up relevant words

Open up a journal (or a word document) and start writing down words that relate to you and your channel.

You may want to make one list of ‘you’ words (personality traits, nicknames, titles, etc.) and another of words related to your channel’s category (i.e. gaming, makeup, or baking).

Step 2: Combinations

Start combining your ‘you’ words with your category words to see what sounds good. You may want to use one of the name generators above (anchor) for this part.

Try to keep your name fairly short (3 words or less) so it’s easier for people to remember. Don’t include numbers if you can avoid it.

Step 3: Say it out loud

Once you have a shortlist of potential names, read them aloud to yourself to make sure they sound good. Ideally, you want to get that ‘oh, that has a nice ring to it!’ feeling.

Part 3: How to Change Your YouTube Name

In the early days of YouTube, you couldn’t change your name, but now you can!

1. Click on your account icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose settings.
2. Click Edit on Google.
3. Update your name and click OK.

Part 4: Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Here are several types of YouTube channel URL , wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of a string of numbers and letters, your channel URL included your name? YouTube can do that for you!

You need…

1. 100 Subscribers
2. to have been on YouTube for 30 days
3. use a photo as your channel icon/profile picture
4. have uploaded channel art

Here’s how to get your custom URL:

1. Click on your icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose Advanced under Settings / the gear icon.
2. If you meet the qualifications above, you’ll see ‘You’re eligible for a custom URL’ under Channel Settings.
3. YouTube will show you the custom URL you’re approved for in the Get a custom URL box. You can’t change what’s there, but you can add to the end of it.
4. Click Change URL after reading the terms of use.

You can delete your custom URL and claim a new one, but doing this might be confusing for your followers.

If you already have a YouTube channel name – are you happy with it? How did you choose it?

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Liza Brown

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

It’s important to have a good name for your YouTube channel – something that people will remember. The following is a list of the 3 best YouTube name generators, an easy step-by-step for brainstorming, and instructions for updating your YouTube name.

Whether you’re a YouTuber beginner or want to improve your YouTube videos to the next level, a good YouTube video editing software will be a good helper. Wondershare Filmora is a video editor for all YouTube creators with plentiful effects and templates, and you can download it directly and have a try before purchasing.

---

1. YouTube Name Generators
2. How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name
3. How to Change Your YouTube Name
4. Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Part 1: 3 Awesome YouTube Name Generators

Need some help brainstorming your channel name? Here are 3 tools for getting started. Even if you don’t use one of the names you generate you’ll get some great inspiration.

1. SpinXO

Key points:

- Lots of options

- Checks availability

This is a great generator. If you were brainstorming yourself, you’d probably write out a bunch of words related to yourself and the kinds of videos you want to make and see what goes together. SpinXO does that for you, and mixes in other words that sound good in usernames.

Here’s what happened when I tried to name a hypothetical baking channel:

Not all of the results are great, but there are some cool sounding options in there.

One of the most useful features of SpinXO is that you can check the availability of the usernames. I liked the sound of CupcakesCupola, and when I clicked on it I was able to see that nobody else was using it on other sites.

2. Name Generator

Key points:

- Can be hilarious

- Names tend to be a bit long

This is a fairly limited generator. You plunk in a prefix and a suffix, and it generates a random word or term to stuff between them. Here’s what I got for my fictional cupcake channel:

So, on one hand - that’s hilarious and I’m considering legally changing my name. On the other hand, all of the results look exactly like this (which means they’re all a bit too long). It shows you a longer list if you scroll down:

You can pick your favorite names and it’ll list them out so you can easily copy them into a word document. That’ll be useful if you’re collecting options from several sites.

3. Username Generator

Key points:

- Can generate a huge number of names at once

- You only input one word

For this name generator, you type in one important word and choose how many results you want to see. You can see up to 300 at once.

The generator will take your keyword and add endings (and occasional beginnings) to it. Some endings are words, and some are just suffixes. Here’s what I got:

Part 2: How to Come Up With a Good YouTube Name – 3 Easy Steps

The name of your YouTube channel needs to accomplish two things:

1. Tell viewers what your channel is about
2. Stick in viewer’s heads by being catchy and unique

Here’s how you can brainstorm the perfect name for your channel!

Step 1: Gather up relevant words

Open up a journal (or a word document) and start writing down words that relate to you and your channel.

You may want to make one list of ‘you’ words (personality traits, nicknames, titles, etc.) and another of words related to your channel’s category (i.e. gaming, makeup, or baking).

Step 2: Combinations

Start combining your ‘you’ words with your category words to see what sounds good. You may want to use one of the name generators above (anchor) for this part.

Try to keep your name fairly short (3 words or less) so it’s easier for people to remember. Don’t include numbers if you can avoid it.

Step 3: Say it out loud

Once you have a shortlist of potential names, read them aloud to yourself to make sure they sound good. Ideally, you want to get that ‘oh, that has a nice ring to it!’ feeling.

Part 3: How to Change Your YouTube Name

In the early days of YouTube, you couldn’t change your name, but now you can!

1. Click on your account icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose settings.
2. Click Edit on Google.
3. Update your name and click OK.

Part 4: Requesting a Custom URL for YouTube

Here are several types of YouTube channel URL , wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of a string of numbers and letters, your channel URL included your name? YouTube can do that for you!

You need…

1. 100 Subscribers
2. to have been on YouTube for 30 days
3. use a photo as your channel icon/profile picture
4. have uploaded channel art

Here’s how to get your custom URL:

1. Click on your icon in the top right corner of YouTube and choose Advanced under Settings / the gear icon.
2. If you meet the qualifications above, you’ll see ‘You’re eligible for a custom URL’ under Channel Settings.
3. YouTube will show you the custom URL you’re approved for in the Get a custom URL box. You can’t change what’s there, but you can add to the end of it.
4. Click Change URL after reading the terms of use.

You can delete your custom URL and claim a new one, but doing this might be confusing for your followers.

If you already have a YouTube channel name – are you happy with it? How did you choose it?

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown

Stealthy iOS: YouTube BGM Sessions

How to Play YouTube in Background on iPhone and Android

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

When it comes to music, the majority of song lovers now prefer listening to it on their iPhone or Android phones, and most of them are still searching for a method to play YouTube in the background so they can enjoy their favorite tracks without much battery consumption.

Another reason why people may want to listen to YouTube in the background could be that they want to use their phone for other purposes such as for text messaging, Internet browsing, accessing Facebook, etc. on the device simultaneously.

With that said, here you will learn how to play YouTube in the background on iPhone or Android both with and without any specific app.

Best Paid Solution for Playing YouTube in Background: YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, formerly YouTube Red, is a paid subscription with three types of plans namely ‘Individual’, ‘Family’, and ‘Student’ offered by the streaming giant for $11.99, $17.99, and $6.99 per month respectively. All the plans give you ad-free and uninterrupted streaming experience.

Note: The price of the plans may vary depending on the region of your residence and Google policies. Nevertheless, no annual subscription is available at the time of this writing, and the amount is deducted from your account on monthly basis.

While each plan has its own merits and demerits, the most used one is Individual that also gives free access to YouTube Music, an app that is available for Android and iOS devices, and is specifically dedicated to the music where you can watch and listen to your favorite tracks published on the platform.

What makes YouTube Music popular among the premium subscribers is its ability to play the music even when the app is not active and/or when the phone screen is turned off. Furthermore, you can even configure the app to play the audio without video, thus significantly reducing the battery consumption.

Note: Unlike the YouTube main app itself, YouTube Music is limited only to the music, and cannot play other videos.

Once you have subscribed for the YouTube Premium Individual plan, and downloaded and installed the YouTube Music app, you can follow the instructions given below to play YouTube in background Android or iPhone smartphone.

Step 1: Launch YouTube Music and Start Streaming

Launch YouTube Music, search for your favorite music using the Search icon at the top-right corner, tap the song in the suggestions list, and then tap the name of the track to start playing.

Step 2: Switch to Audio Only (Optional)

Tap anywhere on the video player window, and tap Audio from the top of the screen to switch to the audio only mode where the video of the song won’t be played.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Use your phone-specific button or option to minimize YouTube Music. You can then either continue using your smartphone normally, or turn off the screen to play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on iPhone

If you don’t want to pay for YouTube Premium, there are a few other workarounds that you can try to play YouTube in background on your iPhone. One of the easiest methods among them is explained below:

Step 1: Play YouTube Video on Browser

Launch Safari on your iPhone, and go to www.youtube.com (important). Make sure to type the URL in the address bar so the YouTube app doesn’t start, and you can access YouTube from within the browser window itself.

Use the regular method to search for the video you want to play in the background, and tap the Play button to start streaming.

Step 2: Open a New Tab

Tap the All Tabs icon from the bottom-right corner of the browser, and tap + from the bottom-center. Notice how the YouTube video continues to play even when you are on the new tab.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Press the Home button or swipe up on iPhone X or above to get to the Home screen. You can notice how YouTube still continues to stream. From this point onward, you can either start using your iPhone normally, or turn off the screen and let your device play YouTube in background.

How to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

The process to play YouTube in background on an Android smartphone is slightly different than what it is on an iPhone if you don’t have a Premium subscription. To get this done on your Android, you must:

Step 1: Switch to Desktop Mode

Launch Google Chrome (default) on your Android phone, and go to www.youtube.com. Click the More options icon (with three vertically aligned dots) from the top-right corner of the browser, and check the Desktop site box from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Search for and Stream a Video

Use the Search bar at the top of the interface to search for and tap the video you want to stream.

Step 3: Play YouTube in Background

Once the video starts streaming, get back to the Home screen, pull down the Notification bar from the top (if the streaming stops), and press the Play button to play YouTube in background on your Android smartphone.

3 Best Apps to Play YouTube Videos in Background on Android

Instead of using the above workaround on Android, if you want something simpler and more straightforward, there are a few apps that can help you play YouTube videos in background. Some of the most used programs are listed below:

VLC for Android

Being one of the most versatile media playing software, VLC needs no introduction, and icing on the cake was added when the program was made available on Google Play Store. After you have installed VLC on your Android phone, you can launch the YouTube app, search for and tap the video you want to play in the background, tap the streaming video, tap the ‘More options’ icon from the top-right corner, and tap ‘Play in VLC’ from the available options.

Minimize play in background

This app does exactly what its name suggests. The program has a ‘Minimize player’ mode that allows you to stream YouTube videos in a small window that reduces its size and resides at the bottom of the screen, thus letting you use your Android phone for other important tasks simultaneously.

Background player for YouTube Vanced minimizer

Yet another app available on Google Play Store that lets you search for your favorite videos on YouTube, stream them, and then minimize the player to a floating window that goes down to the bottom of the screen. This lets you play YouTube in background in order to allow you to use your phone for other tasks.

Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

Conclusion

Watching YouTube videos has become a part of people’s day-to-day life now. While many of them use the platform to learn new skills through the tutorials that are available for free, others love the idea of having unlimited and unrestricted access to the gigantic database of music videos that they can dig in to find and play their favorite tracks. For the latter scenario, the processes explained above are likely to come in handy in order to play YouTube in background so the users can take full advantage of their iPhone or Android smartphone in case they only want to listen to the audio, and are not interested in watching the video while streaming.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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