On Android devices, Microsoft Edge offers an experimental function that allows videos to continue playing in the background. To access this feature, users need to download the Microsoft Edge Canary app for Android. However, there are a few steps involved: after installation, you’ll need to activate a specific setting (a flag) to enable the background video playback.
Sure thing! It is indeed possible to play YouTube videos in the background without having YouTube Premium. I confirmed this across multiple videos such as the Windows Central Podcast and assorted songs by conducting some tests myself.
Video playback continues smoothly regardless of whether you switch to different browser tabs, move to another application, or lock your phone, making it a versatile feature for uninterrupted viewing experience.
It’s not unusual for people to play YouTube videos even when their phone is locked, but Google occasionally patches these methods. If Google introduces this feature in Edge, it would be quite handy if it becomes widely available.
The new feature was spotted by Leo Varela, who shared a video on X (formerly Twitter).
The newly-introduced functionality is currently being evaluated, which means there might be occasional glitches. During my initial usage, I found the video background playback to function smoothly. It seems that music, podcasts, and other media can still play even if I turn off my phone or put it on standby mode.
My phone’s media banner seamlessly displays the appropriate art for whichever video is currently playing in the background.
How to enable video background playback on Microsoft Edge
- Download Microsoft Edge Canary for Android.
- Open Edge Canary.
- Navigate to edge://flags in the navigation bar.
- Search for “background.”
- Tap the box below “Video Background Play” and toggle the setting to “Enabled.”
- Follow the prompt to restart Microsoft Edge Canary.
If videos in Edge keep pausing when you move to another tab or leave the app, ensure that background playback is activated in Edge. Be aware that this setting differs from the one you’ve recently toggled.
- Open Microsoft Edge Canary.
- Open Settings using the hamburger menu and tapping “Settings.”
- Scroll down and select “Site Settings.”
- Select “Background video playback.”
- Toggle the option on.
Hopefully, Microsoft streamlines this process into a single setting.
Microsoft vs. Google
From a personal perspective as a fan, the latest addition to Microsoft Edge seems quite beneficial within the context of a web browser. However, it’s hard not to consider the broader context when discussing anything associated with Microsoft and Google. The tech titans have been engaged in a decade-long feud, primarily revolving around YouTube.
Google opted not to develop Google Chrome or YouTube apps specifically for Windows Phone. However, third-party developers stepped up to the challenge by creating alternatives like MetroTube and myTube. These applications were able to provide functionalities such as offline viewing and background play of content, even during the initial stages.
Although Microsoft developed an application similar to YouTube, Google caused a stir by withdrawing the API keys provided to Microsoft for accessing YouTube.
As an analyst, it strikes me as amusing to contemplate Microsoft rekindling the rivalry with YouTube through their latest Edge feature. Frankly, I can’t help but wonder if Google finds this development quite unsettling, given the ease of background video playback that this new feature seems to offer.
Enjoying videos without interruptions from advertisements, even while multitasking or navigating away from the screen, is just one of the advantages of having a YouTube Premium subscription. Additionally, this subscription service allows you to save content for offline viewing too.
Without a doubt, I find YouTube Premium to be a terrific bargain if used effectively, providing full access to YouTube Music and a commercial-free YouTube experience, which I believe is well worth the $13.99 subscription fee.
If you’re more interested in playing videos as background music rather than subscribing to YouTube Premium, you can simply use Microsoft Edge for this purpose instead.
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2025-08-27 23:09