Edge Canary on Android lets you play YouTube in the background; that too without Premium
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Microsoft is quietly testing a new feature in its Edge Canary browser for Android, one that could take away one of YouTube Premium’s biggest selling points. The experimental feature lets users play YouTube videos in the background without paying for a subscription.
The change first spotted by Leopeva64 on X points to a new experimental flag buried in Edge Canary. Once enabled, the flag unlocks background video playback not only for YouTube but also for other websites. That means you can lock your phone, switch apps, or even browse in another tab while the video continues to run.
Trying it out isn’t too complex either. You just need to install Edge Canary, head to edge://flags, search for Video Background Play, and set it to Enabled. After restarting the browser, head to Settings > Site settings > Background video playback, and you’re done. From there, YouTube videos keep playing seamlessly in the background, even if you don’t have YouTube Premium.
That’s not all, Edge Canary also pops up a built-in ad blocker prompt on first launch, giving users the option to block ads across the web, including YouTube. It’s another perk that could reduce the appeal of Google’s $14 Premium plan.
Whether Google calls out Microsoft’s move in the future remains to be seen, but for now, Edge Canary users can enjoy one of the biggest YouTube Premium features without paying a dime.
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