YouTube is not a music streaming platform like YouTube Music, and therefore it does not have any feature enabled that these have: the ability to continue reading after the phone screen turns off. In fact, switching between applications and leaving YouTube in the background also stops the video unless we launch a floating window. On phones where it is allowed, of course.
But MIUI has a function implemented since its version 11, and which has been automatically inherited by MIUI 12 and MIUI 13, which allows us to solve this problem and transform YouTube into, virtually, a ‘Spotify’, an ‘Apple Music’ or any other streaming service. This function is in the video toolbox that we can activate in the special functions of the system. We show you how.
How to continue listening to YouTube with the screen off without an application
As we say, MIUI 12 and MIUI 13 include an option for allow you to watch YouTube videos, and in general any application capable of playing videos, with the screen off. It will be up to us to decide, once activated, if we want to use a Bluetooth speaker, headphones or the speaker of the phone itself. We show you how to activate this option in a few simple steps.
To activate this option we must go to the Settings phone, and once there we locate the section special functions which is just below “Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls”. We access and enter in turn video toolkit, the second option of all. Various options are now unfolding before us and we need to do the following.
We must have activated video toolkit there Direct access to the video toolbox. This will be essential to be able to access it from YouTube later. With both options enabled, we can decide where the box will appear in the next option between Left oh Right. Now, and this is essential, it is time to activate the box for YouTube. This is done from the last option: Manage video apps. We walk in and make sure to bookmark YouTube before leaving, almost everything is done.
Once we activated the box and told MIUI 12/13 that it should also be used with YouTube, let’s go to the youtube app to test it. All we have to do is open any video in the app and watch the screen. On the side we specified (left or right) we will have a mark on the screen, a horizontal line a little more than a centimeter on the edge. This tells us that there is something there to unveil. We slide from the outside to the inside of the screen and that’s it, video toolbox unfolded
Now we have to swipe again on the first row of icons to show the fourth option. After “Record”, “Screenshot” and “Broadcast” should appear Play sound with screen off accompanied by an icon representing an ear. We activate it and that’s it, everything is done. Now we can play the video that we had on the screen and change the application or turn off the phone screen and the video will continue to sound as if we were always with the application open in front of our eyes. Ideal for conferences, tutorials or video clips of any kind. Enjoy, we leave you with the step-by-step summary.
How to play YouTube with screen off in MIUI 12/13
- We open the application Settings.
- We access special functions.
- We locate and open video toolkit.
- We activate the first two options.
- We decide on the position of the box in the third.
- We activate YouTube in the fourth option, that of Manage apps.
- We open Youtube again.
- We navigate to any video we want.
- We display the video toolbox.
- We navigate through the front row to Play sound with screen off and we activate it.
- Listingwe can already hear it even if we turn off the phone screen.