Many Facebook users want the ability to keep Facebook videos or live streams playing while they multitask and use other apps on their phone. Unfortunately, the default setting in the Facebook mobile app is for videos to stop playing when you leave the app or lock your screen. This can be frustrating if you want to keep listening to audio from a Facebook video while texting friends, checking email, or using other apps. The good news is there are a few different ways to make Facebook videos and live streams continue playing in the background on both iPhone and Android devices.
Method 1: Use Picture-in-Picture Mode (iPhone Only)
The easiest way to keep Facebook videos playing in the background on an iPhone is to use Picture-in-Picture mode. This feature allows you to shrink the video down to a small always-on-top window that floats above any other apps you open. Here’s how to do it:
- Open the Facebook app and start playing a video.
- Tap the Picture-in-Picture icon in the bottom right corner of the video player. It looks like a small box with arrows coming out of it.
- The Facebook video will shrink down into a small window that floats above all your other iPhone apps and content. You can drag this window around and reposition it anywhere you like.
- You can now freely use any other apps on your iPhone while the Facebook video continues playing uninterrupted in the mini window.
- To return the video to full screen, simply tap the small Picture-in-Picture window twice.
The mini video window will persist until you close the Facebook app entirely or stop the video. Just be aware that Picture-in-Picture is only available on iPhone models running iOS 14 or later. If you have an older iPhone model or use Android, you’ll need to try one of the other methods below.
Method 2: Use the Background Play Setting (Android Only)
If you have an Android phone or tablet, Facebook includes a dedicated background play setting that keeps videos playing minimized when you leave the app. Here’s how to enable it:
- Open the Facebook app on your Android device.
- Tap the three-line Menu button in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and tap Settings & Privacy.
- Select Media and Contacts.
- Turn on the switch next to Background Play.
Once enabled, this setting will allow any Facebook videos or live streams to continue playing uninterrupted if you minimize the app or switch to another app on your Android device. The audio will keep playing so you can listen while multitasking elsewhere on your device.
Method 3: Use Another App to Stream the Audio
Both iPhone and Android users also have the option of streaming just the audio from a Facebook video to another app in the background. This allows you to listen to the sound while using other apps on your phone. Here are some ways to do it:
- Stream audio to Spotify: Click the three dot menu on any Facebook video and select “Share Audio Track”. Choose Spotify and the audio will begin playing in the Spotify app.
- Stream audio to YouTube: Use a free online converter tool to convert the Facebook video URL to an MP3 audio file. Then play that audio file in the YouTube app in the background.
- Stream audio to a podcast app: Use an online service like Listen Notes to extract the audio as an MP3 podcast episode. Then play the episode in your preferred podcast listening app.
The advantage of streaming just the audio is you don’t have the video window taking up space on your screen as you use other apps. The only drawback is having to set up the audio stream each time instead of just persistent background play.
Method 4: Use the Facebook Lite App
If none of the other methods work well, try downloading and using the Facebook Lite app instead. This is a stripped down version of Facebook designed for regions with slower internet speeds. One advantage of Facebook Lite is that videos and live streams continue playing uninterrupted when minimized or if you switch to other apps. Just open the video you want within the Facebook Lite app and it will keep playing in the background.
Method 5: Use the Mobile Website
The final option is to access the Facebook mobile website in your phone’s browser instead of using the Facebook app. When playing videos directly in the mobile browser version of Facebook, the audio will keep playing in the background after minimizing or switching to another browser tab or app. This workaround essentially lets you choose browser-based background audio over the native app limitation.
Troubleshooting Background Play Issues
In some cases, you may enable one of these background play options but videos still stop playing when you leave the Facebook app. Here are some things to check if that happens:
- Make sure Background Audio is enabled in your device settings. On iPhone go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and make sure it’s turned on for Facebook. On Android go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > App permissions > Audio in Background and make sure Facebook is allowed.
- Check that power saving or battery optimization is not restricting background processes for the Facebook app. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization and make sure Facebook is not being optimized.
- Update to the latest version of the Facebook app and mobile operating system available for your device.
- Force close and restart the Facebook app to clear any glitches.
- Toggle airplane mode off and on to refresh connectivity.
- Restart your mobile device to clear out memory issues.
With some tweaking of these settings you should be able to get Facebook videos and live streams playing continuously in the mobile background.
Conclusion
The ability to play Facebook videos in the background makes it easier to multitask and listen to videos while using your phone for other tasks. The Picture-in-Picture feature on iPhone and Background Play setting on Android are simplest options if available. Otherwise streaming just the audio to a secondary app or using the mobile browser versions of Facebook can achieve similar results. With one of these methods, you’ll be able to enjoy Facebook media seamlessly while on the go.