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Google has blocked YouTube background listening on mobile web browsers to maintain the feature as an exclusive benefit for YouTube Premium subscribers.
Typically, YouTube will stop playing on your phone or tablet if you turn off the screen; if you want to listen to an hour-long playlist or podcast on your next walk with your device locked in your pocket, you need to pay $13.99 per month.
However, some crafty listeners had devised workarounds over the years, including using an ad blocker on a non-Chrome browser. As Android Authority reports, that's no longer the case.
"Background playback is a feature intended to be exclusive for YouTube Premium members," Google says. "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."
Reports of Google's crackdown began cropping up in recent weeks from those using alternative browsers like Brave and Vivaldi, as well as Microsoft's Edge. Going forward, there may be a bit of a cat-and-mouse game from browser makers. On X, Brave said last night that "YouTube background play should be fixed in our browser now!"
Another way you can enjoy background listening with YouTube videos is by downloading them. Again, YouTube Premium is needed here to do it officially, but there are third-party tools that get the job done, too. Just be wary of YouTube downloader sites; they are often infected with malware or dodgy links and ads.
YouTube, meanwhile, has been going after ad blockers for years. Last year, video watchers using them were greeted by longer video loading times and increased buffering on YouTube.