YouTube TV is finally introducing a feature that was only available as a premium feature on YouTube – background play. It appears that the ability to listen in the background is being added to both the Android and iOS YouTube TV apps.

Background play has been one of the most popular features on YouTube. This allows users to lock their phone or tablet or exit the app and continue listening to the video they were watching. This feature has been hidden behind YouTube’s premium subscription for some time, meaning free version users will no longer be able to enjoy the simple feature.

Considering that YouTube TV has always been a paid service, you might think that background playback would have already made its way into the app.

According to multiple reports from users on Reddit, YouTube TV has added the background playback feature on Android and iOS. In the current version of YouTube TV for Android and iOS, users should have the option to leave the app or lock their devices and continue listening to the previously played channel.

We successfully tested this feature on Android, although the iOS devices we tested did not yet show background playback in practice. If the reports about Apple’s devices are true, the feature should be rolling out soon.

According to the comments in the posts, this feature has been slowly rolling out over the last week. More and more users are now seeing the possibility of using background playback, some still don’t see it. It appears that this is a gradual rollout that is gaining some momentum. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if it becomes available to everyone in a few weeks.

Is background play available to you in the YouTube TV app? Let us know in the comments!

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