Background Play is one of the tentpoles of the YouTube Red subscription. The ability to listen to a video with the screen off made many a music and video podcast-loving nerd was awesome. I didn't mind paying for the feature, especially when it came with an ad-free YouTube, YouTube Red, and Google Play Music. The only problem I could find with it is this:
None of the videos I paid for in Google Play were eligible for it.
One of my many odd quirks is that in the car, especially on longer drives, I'll sometimes listen to movies once my car karaoke playlist starts to bore me. I don't need or want the video, just the audio, so I'd start my movie and then put the phone face-down on my center console, leaving the screen and draining my battery quicker than you can watch Lord of the Rings. Background Play sounded like a lifesaver... but it doesn't work on a single purchased video, from the 3-minute shorts to the 3-hour epics.
Granted, Google wants you to watch your purchased movies in Google Play Movies & TV, and if they added Background Play to that app, I'd use the hell out of it. Until then, it's already built into YouTube, and my purchases are already there. So why exclude paid content from another paid feature?
Allowing Background Play on purchases could save users hours of battery life, especially on long trips where we need every iota of juice we can. For people like me who listen to dialogue-heavy Deadpool on their morning drive, being able to turn off the screen means better battery and less chance of distraction. If I can buy any movie in Google Play and listen to it in the car without wrecking my battery, I'm also going to buy more of them, something Google definitely wants me to do.
None of the videos I paid for in Google Play were eligible for it.
One of my many odd quirks is that in the car, especially on longer drives, I'll sometimes listen to movies once my car karaoke playlist starts to bore me. I don't need or want the video, just the audio, so I'd start my movie and then put the phone face-down on my center console, leaving the screen and draining my battery quicker than you can watch Lord of the Rings. Background Play sounded like a lifesaver... but it doesn't work on a single purchased video, from the 3-minute shorts to the 3-hour epics.
Granted, Google wants you to watch your purchased movies in Google Play Movies & TV, and if they added Background Play to that app, I'd use the hell out of it. Until then, it's already built into YouTube, and my purchases are already there. So why exclude paid content from another paid feature?
Allowing Background Play on purchases could save users hours of battery life, especially on long trips where we need every iota of juice we can. For people like me who listen to dialogue-heavy Deadpool on their morning drive, being able to turn off the screen means better battery and less chance of distraction. If I can buy any movie in Google Play and listen to it in the car without wrecking my battery, I'm also going to buy more of them, something Google definitely wants me to do.