A few days ago, Microsoft released a new update for its Edge browser that provides an interesting new feature: playback of video content in the background. This means you can now use Edge to play YouTube videos in a minimized tab and still have it going in the background.
This may not seem like a big deal in itself, but Edge also has built-in ad blocking. Combine the two together and you get a pretty potent combo: you can watch YouTube videos in the background (a feature that’s only available to YouTube Premium subscribers) without any ads (also restricted to YouTube Premium), all free of charge.
Android Authority first discovered this feature in Edge Canary, which is the most cutting-edge version of Edge with the latest features and developments. Note, however, that Edge Canary is unstable, may crash, and may not work properly on all devices. If you want to try it out, you can download it on the Google Play Store.
Background playback with no ads
To activate the ad blocker in Edge, go to Settings and then Site settings. Then select Block ads and activate Adblock Plus. This is a built-in feature. No need to download an additional extension.
To activate background playback, you need to enter edge://flags in the Edge address bar. This will take you to the experimental features that are still under development. Here, search for Video Background Play and toggle it to enabled. Restart the app and you’re good to go!
Not a full replacement, but close enough
Strictly speaking, with background playback and no ads, you still don’t get the full-blown YouTube Premium experience. The $13.99/month subscription also grants access to YouTube Music and the ability to download videos to watch offline. If you want all of YouTube Premium’s features, you can try this free app.
Nevertheless, it’s nice that Microsoft offers the possibility to bypass some of the barriers that YouTube has put up with its premium subscription with two simple features in the Edge browser—and this despite the fact that ad blockers are actually a thorn in the sides of many providers (some even want to ban ad blockers completely).
Curiously, this isn’t the first time Microsoft has inadvertently provided a workaround to watch YouTube videos without ads. Earlier this year, there was a bug in Microsoft’s Bing Search that also made it possible to bypass ads on YouTube videos.
Edge isn’t the only browser that allows video content to be played in the background, by the way. Brave and Samsung Internet also have this option. However, it remains to be seen whether the changes will make it into the live version of Edge before YouTube complains.
Important: Remember that YouTube creators live off advertising revenue. So if you don’t want to support your favorite channels directly, for example via channel memberships or donations, you can do so indirectly by watching ads on their videos.
Further reading: I block every ad on YouTube and I’m not ashamed
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