Android users may soon be able to enjoy YouTube videos in the background without paying for a Premium subscription, thanks to a new feature being tested in Microsoft Edge. The update, currently available in the experimental Canary build of the browser, allows videos to continue playing even when the phone is locked or when users switch to other apps.
The feature can be enabled through the browser’s advanced settings by visiting edge://flags and turning on the option called Video Background Play. After this is activated, users can open the browser’s settings under Site settings to toggle on background video playback. This allows YouTube and other supported sites to play audio and video uninterrupted while multitasking.
In addition to background playback, Edge Canary for Android now also prompts users to enable an ad blocker on first launch. Once switched on, it removes most ads across websites, including YouTube, offering a cleaner viewing experience.
At present, YouTube Premium remains the official way for users to access ad free and background playback. If Microsoft decides to roll out these features beyond the test phase, it could challenge YouTube’s subscription model by offering one of its biggest benefits for free.
This development also recalls earlier clashes between Microsoft and Google. More than ten years ago, Microsoft’s YouTube app for Windows Phone was blocked for bypassing ads and allowing downloads, which violated Google’s policies. With these new Edge features offering similar advantages outside YouTube’s paywall, it remains to be seen how Google will respond.
For now, anyone interested can install the Edge Canary app on Android and experiment with the settings. Whether this becomes a permanent feature or is eventually restricted is uncertain, but it marks a significant step in the ongoing competition between browsers and in the debate over how users access premium features.
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