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Comment by chx | Hacker News Reader

Of course we shouldn't forget little niceties like YouTube not being able to play background music. Only the paid YouTube Red service can do that which is simply not available in many countries -- but even in those YT won't play in the background. Unless, of course, you have xposed installed... So, as usual, controlling what you can do with your own device results in a) perceived gains for the rightholder b) pain for ordinary users c) nothing at all for the informed. If this resembles the DRM situation, it is.

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What's that got to do with root access?

If you can beat YouTube's DRM then you can just make your own player app. No need for root.

If you can't then what makes you think you could defeat whatever checking for rooted devices YouTube would add to their app?

Anyway, this sort of discussion is pretty pointless. The market has spoken. The number of people who care about root access is tiny compared to the number of people who want a safe device and app experience. Heck the entire iPad/iOS experience is pretty much "let's take a general purpose computer, make it do less, and it'll sell much better".

Um, how do you plan to install xposed if you are not root?

You install your own player app. You don't need xposed. You don't need root. You do need to sideload because the app store forbids anything that annoys youtube.

Just install NewPipe and you can download YouTube videos to your phone, or only download the audio. [1]

Works fantastically.

[1] https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=NewPipe&fdid...

Oh. And how do you install F-Droid?

The process is called sideloading. Android offers it for free, whereas on iOS you need a developer license to do it. https://f-droid.org/forums/topic/how-install-from-f-droid/

Let's prod further. How do you sideload if you are not rooted? I can't remember what you can and what you can not do but I am reasonably sure you can't just adb install foo.apk if you are not rooted as the "untrusted sources" option won't be available.

Go to settings=>security and enable "unknown sources" (allow installation of apps from unknown sources).

After that you are allowed to install .apk files (e.g. clicking the "download of xy.apk finished" notification or in a file explorer app).

Edit: that setting is always there, it's only greyed out if you installed a corporate app that explicitly disables it (e.g. the "GoodApp" email/calendar/contacts suite).

It's explained (not well, but it is) in the link ce4 gave you. You enable it in the settings and and then just install packages.

EDIT to match your edit: you remember wrong, the option is always there (unless there is some manufacturer out there that blocks it (Amazon maybe?), but most devices certainly don't)

> Only the paid YouTube Red service can do that which is simply not available in many countries

Oh yes, this. I pay for Google Music which is supposed to include that, but I do now have it by virtue of living on the wrong side of some border.

You can play YouTube audio in the background and with the phone locked if you use Firefox.

Just install Firefox and you're set.

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