Yesterday, we recapped some of the most requested features from users of the free YouTube Music plan, and the main one is without a doubt the ability to use the mobile app in the background. Y whoever says in the background says with the screen offand that’s because of the limitations that make the Google alternative a very undesirable product to enjoy on a handheld device.

Why anyone with such a limitation would want to use YouTube Music instead of Spotify, Deezer or other similar services is another discussion. Let’s just say that Google’s platform has its pluses and minuses, and for those who like music outside of record labels, it’s perhaps the most interesting alternative, if only because of how widespread it is and how many users it has.

Of course, the YouTube Music catalog and YouTube content, which is the same in this case, can be accessed in non-traditional ways, in which you will find both advantages and disadvantages. And of course you can pay for the service, which after all is the ideal way to enjoy it for many different reasons. But not everyone can or is willing.

Since you can’t have everything, you have to choose what and how to use it, and in this practical article we will limit ourselves to what the title indicates: how to use YouTube Music with the screen off on a Xiaomi mobile, that is with a free service plan in which it stops playing when you change the app or turn off the screen. The excruciating possibility that even if they fix it officially or not, I can handle it… with nuance.

The nuances are obvious: use YouTube Music for free, do it with the screen off and have a Xiaomi mobile (BIT, Redmi); that is, a mobile that uses MIUI as its user interface. Needless to say, this “trick” also works with the regular YouTube app and any other that requires a foreground to function.

How to use YouTube Music with screen off on Xiaomi mobile

It is very simple to do. You go to: “Settings > Special features > Floating windows > Sidebar > Video apps» and you will see that one has already been added. Well, you add the ones you want to use. For example, YouTube Music… (!). You can also add a game on the previous screen and even check the “Always Show” option, although the latter can be a little annoying. In any case, this configuration has no loss.

From now on, every time you open YouTube Music, YouTube, or any other app you’ve added to the list, you’ll see a little line on the side of the screen that you can place wherever it’s most convenient for you. by dragging and dropping and you will see various options when unzipped. The one you are interested in is the one that has ear icon: “Play video audio with screen off.”

So you give play On YouTube Music or YouTube, you’ll see a menu, click a button, and your phone’s screen will turn off, but the music—or whatever you’re listening to—will continue to play.

You can do a little trick with the floating windows feature to use a couple of apps while listening to music in the background, but it doesn’t work that well and the invention isn’t that manageable.