Why can't Android and WP do something as simple as this

Cod3rror said:

Play an audio from a video, in the background.

iOS can do it. Apple disabled it(or maybe it was a bug) in iOS 6, but in iOS 7 you can do it again.

Neither Android, nor Windows Phone allow you to do this little, yet such a handy feature.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/apple/3447568/play-youtube-in-background-on-iphone-ipad/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcaaeJDn_uU

Click to expand...

So you have to use the web to view YouTube, just so you can close it out to listen to it? And why would I bother with this method? I open YouTube app to 'watch' it. If I want noise without video I have radio, podcasts, Pandora, spotify, and so on.
And if you really want this feature in Android, there are plenty of ways to do it.

Cod3rror said:

Play an audio from a video, in the background.

iOS can do it. Apple disabled it(or maybe it was a bug) in iOS 6, but in iOS 7 you can do it again.

Neither Android, nor Windows Phone allow you to do this little, yet such a handy feature.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/apple/3447568/play-youtube-in-background-on-iphone-ipad/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcaaeJDn_uU

Click to expand...

Android users can easily use the Viral app. It's what I use. The features out do any Youtube app on iOS.

Cod3rror said:

What you're doing here is giving excuses, not actually answering a question. Besides, there is lots of "I, I, I" in your post, I was not quizzing your requirements in the OP.

But anyway...

So, can you listen to documentaries, or lectures, or listen audio books? Ambient noises on Pandora, Spotify or Podcasts? Besides, why should I need three different applications, when I can use none and just use the browser.

What a lot of people do is: Open up YouTube in Safari, background it, then launch Chrome and browse the web in it, or do something else, while a documentary or something else is playing in the background. It's very convenient.

Click to expand...

Excuses? Don't think you read my post very well.

First, I asked why I would bother with this. If you have to use 2 browsers to 'listen' to a 'video' site, why not just use a tablet and a phone. Or phone and a PC? Or PC and a tablet? Or two tablets?

Or, on to my second point, there are a ton of ways to do this on Android. In fact, you can use multi-screen support, multi-app support on a single screen, use allcast, use miracast, dl a ROM, use an app like Viral....

We call this 'customization', 'optimization' and 'utilization' of an open platform. You seem to think there is only way way to skin a cat. Which is mostly true in iOS. In Android, you can skin, bake, fry, tan, oil and eat the cat.

In iOS it was as simple as opening YouTube, pushing play, shutting the screen off, pulling up controls, and then pressing play again.

Doesn't sound as easy when you see the steps, but it was natural to us that used it since the first iPhone.

And the thing is, it worked for most things, not just YouTube.

I don't want a separate app.

OP - Download a floating browser like GPC. Open YouTube on that browser, play your video and minimize it. Just like on a computer.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gpc.myweb.hinet.net.PopupWeb

It must be app specific because I can listen to Pandora or google play music while working in different apps and use my notification window to control the music. Never tried it with movies or YouTube but it would logically stand to reason the assumption is since its video you should want it to pause while you worked in another app so your could return and pick up where you left off.

Would be nice if it were optional though but I'd rather it pause when I switched away than continue playing by default.

Download UListen from the Google Play Store. You can play background audio on it with the phone screen turn off. There are so many apps do that do this on Android, non-rooted.

Android BEEN able to do "simple" stuff like that.

.............

Cod3rror said:

That's a cool app, thanks!

I wish background audio capability was integrated throughout the system though, especially the browser.

It would be good if Google added something like this...

Image

When you'd switch out with a Multitasking view, audio would pause, but controls would appear over an app that played that audio that would allow you to click "Play" and make it play the audio from the video. That way you'd always know which application is playing in the background and you'd have a quick access to pause it, if you wanted.

Click to expand...

Some Android browsers actually play audio in the background already. I know Chrome definitely does, but for some reason not with Youtube.

One reason I like the Viral app is that it bypasses the "not available for mobile" video setting. Half the Youtube vids I want to listen to in the background is blocked on mobile. So I can just use Viral to listen to those vids in the background. I'm stuck with that restriction on iOS unless I jailbreak.

But I do understand about the integration your talking about. It does make it easier to pause. To bad it can't forward or back to other videos when playing from a playlist.

Android Does more than just SIMPLE Things like your example

Cod3rror said:

Play an audio from a video, in the background.
iOS can do it. Apple disabled it(or maybe it was a bug) in iOS 6, but in iOS 7 you can do it again.

Neither Android, nor Windows Phone allow you to do this little, yet such a handy feature.

Click to expand...

Okay, so we have heard your requirement, but to state that Android won't allow such a handy feature is incorrect. As others have pointed out, it is possible through the flexibility that Android offers both in choices of apps but IMO, more importantly, your CHOICE of devices. While Apple is busy giving you choices of colors the various android manufacturers are giving you real choices weather your a minimalist, want large phones, consider photography key, etc.....

Cod3rror said:

So, can you listen to documentaries, or lectures, or listen audio books? Ambient noises on Pandora, Spotify or Podcasts? Besides, why should I need three different applications, when I can use none and just use the browser.

Click to expand...

Your last sentence is ironic considering just about everything you need to do with iOS needs "another app" such as ...... However, let's stay on topic and just state that if you are looking to Android, I would suggest buying the correct phone to do your job.

There's so many choices in Android based phones for a REASON. Some androids do what you're looking to do far better than other models and FAR, FAR better than iOS devices. Please don't make me repeat my posts about multitasking on iOS vs Android.

What a lot of people do is: Open up YouTube in Safari, background it, then launch Chrome and browse the web in it, or do something else, while a documentary or something else is playing in the background. It's very convenient.

Click to expand...

What's even better is get yourself a Note 3 and open two windows and truly multitask. Don't want two windows open, then use an app like Viral. I personally prefer two windows. If you really want to though, put the Viral App in the background, Chrome on part of the window and then pop a note taking app up and experience true multitasking. That's just another in a growing list of things iOS devices won't allow you to do. (See the last Image Below)

Watch a video and surf or do email, text, whatever.....both live at the same time. You can re-size or move the windows around any way you want in portrait or landscape mode too.

You can even surf the web, watch a video and search YouTube for more time killing fun all while still playing the video as shown in the bottom right corner here. Let me know when you can do 3 things at once on iOS or if you could even see all that on such a small screen like what an iPhone offers.


Take Notes in either handwriting or typed fonts of your choice and size.

If you're playing a video and the app expects it to be a video, and you close the video, why would the app continue to run in the background, draining battery life for something you can't see?

However, if the app author codes it in, there's no reason it cannot be done. I do it all of the time with MyTube on WP8.

It's funny how iPhone users find a workaround such as this so handy yet they call a real feature like multi-window on the Galaxy devices, for some true multitasking, a gimmick.

pdqgp said:

Alot.

Click to expand...

Essentially your whole post was nothing more than a sales pitch for the Note 3 and everything the iPhone does is wrong. This isn't about screen size, this isn't about multitasking, it's about easy to do background audio and how iOS seems to do this easier.
I've run into the same situation as the OP numerous times where I'd like to listen to a song or something on Youtube and continue to do other things without it closing, it's a legitimate complaint.

Cod3rror said:

Play an audio from a video, in the background.

iOS can do it. Apple disabled it(or maybe it was a bug) in iOS 6, but in iOS 7 you can do it again.

Neither Android, nor Windows Phone allow you to do this little, yet such a handy feature.

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/apple/3447568/play-youtube-in-background-on-iphone-ipad/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcaaeJDn_uU

Click to expand...

Handy? How is that handy?

InuNacho said:

I've run into the same situation as the OP numerous times where I'd like to listen to a song or something on Youtube and continue to do other things without it closing, it's a legitimate complaint.

Click to expand...

But it's not refined at all. At least on my iPad2. iOS7 it's not. Swipe to the control center and it stops playing most of the time. Go back to Safari and hit another tab and it stop playing. I found myself hitting play again numerous times while doing other stuff.

InuNacho said:

Essentially your whole post was nothing more than a sales pitch for the Note 3 and everything the iPhone does is wrong.

Click to expand...

Sales pitch? Really? I guess I should be keeping an eye out for my W2 from Samsung then eh? Please let them know I work for them so I can get it. Actually, my post was clear and shows options vs just tapping out unwarranted and incorrect complaints. IMO the original post would have been best posed as a question as to how it could be done so that options for the solution could be posted.

This isn't about screen size, this isn't about multitasking, it's about easy to do background audio and how iOS seems to do this easier.

Click to expand...

This is absolutely about all of those things. It's up to the owner to pick the right tool for the job. To say that Android doesn't allow for it is flat out wrong and I've proven that along with several others here. iOS doesn't do this task easier, just thankfully it does it unlike many of the other features mentioned that Android can do but iOS it can't do period.

Do you own a Droid Based device? Install Viral and share with us which is easier step by step. I own both and will be happy to do it if you can't / won't. iOS isn't easier but again, cool that it has it.

I've run into the same situation as the OP numerous times where I'd like to listen to a song or something on Youtube and continue to do other things without it closing, it's a legitimate complaint.

Click to expand...

Then install Viral or UListen or next time look into a phone that has different capabilities. Either works.

*YAWN* None of you Android people ****ing get it.

It was a work around, it was never documented by Apple, but it was pretty well known around the iOS community that it worked.

There is no extra app to install, we didn't have to have a certain build of an OS to do it, it work from iOS 1 to 6, and now 7 again.

Again... To us that know how to use it, it comes naturally.

And it was handy when all we wanted to do was listen to something while sleeping, or doing something else with the phone in our pocket.

It's "multitasking", but not in the sense that we're doing two things with our phone. It's just a video setup to play like music would with the screen off.

... By the way, shouldn't the YouTube video be at the top? Doesn't make sense why you'd not use the bottom part of your screen to do the note taking and browsing.

InuNacho said:

I've run into the same situation as the OP numerous times where I'd like to listen to a song or something on Youtube and continue to do other things without it closing, it's a legitimate complaint.

Click to expand...

Download the MP3?

Jessica Lares said:

*YAWN* None of you Android people ****ing get it.

It was a work around, it was never documented by Apple, but it was pretty well known around the iOS community that it worked.

There is no extra app to install, we didn't have to have a certain build of an OS to do it, it work from iOS 1 to 6, and now 7 again.

Click to expand...

Oh, I get it just fine. Here, let me acknowledge that iOS and it's YouTube app have that capability. There.

What you're not getting and the OP clearly didn't know is that Android actually gives you multiple options to do the very same thing only with Ulisten, it's an app that is specifically designed for such a thing. No need to put a video in the background, save the bandwidth use and simply avoid downloading the video just the audio.

Again... To us that know how to use it, it comes naturally.

Click to expand...

Ditto. Ulisten. I use it for the very same thing.

And it was handy when all we wanted to do was listen to something while sleeping, or doing something else with the phone in our pocket.

Click to expand...

Ditto. Ulisten does just that.

It's "multitasking", but not in the sense that we're doing two things with our phone. It's just a video setup to play like music would with the screen off.

Click to expand...

Can be done with android too or again, Ulisten avoids having to stream the video so if you're in an area with 3g speeds the stream won't buffer because it's not pulling the video down.

... By the way, shouldn't the YouTube video be at the top? Doesn't make sense why you'd not use the bottom part of your screen to do the note taking and browsing.

Click to expand...

if you wish. It's Drag and drop simple to flip my example posted too.

pdqgp said:

This is absolutely about all of those things. It's up to the owner to pick the right tool for the job. To say that Android doesn't allow for it is flat out wrong and I've proven that along with several others here. iOS doesn't do this task easier, just thankfully it does it unlike many of the other features mentioned that Android can do but iOS it can't do period.

Do you own a Droid Based device? Install Viral and share with us which is easier step by step. I own both and will be happy to do it if you can't / won't. iOS isn't easier but again, cool that it has it.

Then install Viral or UListen or next time look into a phone that has different capabilities. Either works.

Click to expand...

Yes I do own a Droid, hence me posting on this section of the forum. I own an SII and if Viral is the easiest way to run Youtube audio in the background, then my grandmother's iPhone 4 beats my SII. My SII is slow as it is, but with Viral in the background it becomes slower still, the iPhone 4 plays youtube audio without a hitch.
And yes, I believe that your Note 3's same screen multitasking is a gimmick.

InuNacho said:

Yes I do own a Droid, hence me posting on this section of the forum. I own an SII and if Viral is the easiest way to run Youtube audio in the background, then my grandmother's iPhone 4 beats my SII. My SII is slow as it is, but with Viral in the background it becomes slower still, the iPhone 4 plays youtube audio without a hitch.
And yes, I believe that your Note 3's same screen multitasking is a gimmick.

Click to expand...

I'd run Ulisten as noted but that's just me. YMMV. If my same screen multitasking is a gimmick, it's a damn good one because I've used it just as described many times. Never owned an SII but if running a simple app in the background slows it down then I'd say it's likely more of an issue with the SII than Android, unless it's your specific version of the OS.

SeanR1 said:

Download the MP3?

Click to expand...

Exactly what I think when people complain about this