The next update to your phone could remove a very interesting feature. The latter was simply not authorized!
For some time now, a well-known brand of smartphone has had a very practical function: playing YouTube videos in the background. This feature, often ignored by many users, allows you to launch a video of your choice and lock your phone without stopping playback.
On a majority of Android smartphones and iPhones, it is not possible to lock the device when a YouTube video is playing. This cuts off your video so you can’t enjoy its audio while storing your phone in your pocket or bag. Unless you own a smartphone from the Xiaomi range! The latter benefit from an option called “play the sound of a video with the screen off”.
This feature, unknown to many Xiaomi phone owners, will very soon be completely removed. Indeed, playing YouTube videos with the screen off is one of the key features of the site’s premium subscription. It is therefore counterproductive for a smartphone to offer the same option but directly integrated into its system.
The latest updates to Xiaomi phones therefore remove the function. The updates in question are as follows:
| Model | Update removing feature |
|---|---|
| Xiaomi 14 | 8.6.4-231201.1.1 and later |
| Xiaomi 13 / 13 Pro / 12T | 8.2.5-231213.1.2 and later |
| Other smartphone with MIUI14 | 8.2.6-231226.1.2 and later |
| Any smartphone with MIUI13 and MIUI12 | 8.7.4-240103.1.1 and later |
You can therefore postpone the removal of the feature by not downloading the update in question. It is still strongly recommended to keep your smartphone up to date in order to avoid possible bugs and security breaches.
If you still want to be able to use YouTube by locking your smartphone, it is still possible to subscribe to the YouTube Premium offer for €12.99/per month without commitment. The first month is notably free.