YouTube TV now has background playback so users can listen on locked devices

YouTube TV listeners can now listen to shows in the background even when their phone screen is locked, a YouTube spokesperson said Tuesday.

“I can confirm that we are conducting an experiment that allows YouTube TV playback to continue after the phone screen is locked for Android and iOS mobile users,” a YouTube representative told CNET in an email. “If a viewer has the YouTube TV app turned on and then locks their phone, playback will continue. If users want to avoid background playback, they can pause the video before locking their phone.”

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The feature was called Background Play or Background Play because that's exactly what happens. When YouTube TV subscribers lock their mobile device, they can still hear the soundtrack of what they were watching. Users can exit the app or lock their phone. As long as the app is not closed or the video is paused, you will continue to hear the sound.

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This is particularly interesting as YouTube TV is now home to the subscriber-only Sunday Ticket, allowing football fans to lock their phone and take it with them in the car and still play the audio of the game they were watching. As a YouTube TV and Sunday Ticket subscriber, I tested the feature on my iPhone and was able to hear highlights of my Sunday games even though my phone screen was locked and I didn't see the video portion. Skol, Viking.