A Firefox extension that prevents YouTube and Vimeo from pausing videos when the browser is in the background, minimized, or when switching tabs. Especially useful on 📱 Android devices, where background playback is often restricted. 🎯 What This Extension Does This add-on ensures videos keep playing even when the page loses focus. No more interruptions when you:

Switch tabs
Minimize Firefox
Lock your screen (mobile)

Perfect for 🎵 music, 🎙️ podcasts, 📚 lectures, and other audio-first content. ✨ Key Features

🎧 True Background Playback Forces YouTube and Vimeo to continue playing even when the tab is inactive.
👁️ Page Visibility API Override Reports the page as always visible (document.hidden === false).
📱 Mobile-First Support Includes Android & iOS Firefox logic with MediaSession API integration.
🔄 Automatic Video Recovery Resumes playback if paused due to browser suspension or tab changes.
⚡ Lightweight & Efficient Minimal performance and battery impact.

🛠️ How It Works The extension uses a lightweight content script that overrides the Page Visibility API. 🔧 Core Mechanisms

Visibility Override Intercepts visibility checks and always reports the page as active and visible.
Event Suppression Prevents visibilitychange events from reaching the video player.
MediaSession Integration (Mobile) Ensures playback remains active in the system media controls and notification shade.

🎮 How to Use

Install the extension
Open YouTube or Vimeo (desktop or mobile)
Start a video
Switch tabs or minimize Firefox

🎉 The video/audio will continue playing in the background. ✅ How to Verify It’s Working

Play a video.
Switch tabs or minimize Firefox.
💻 Desktop: The tab will show the “playing audio” 🔊 icon
📱 Android: Firefox’s media playback notification remains visible and audio continues

🧩 Troubleshooting If playback still pauses:

🧩 Check extension status
Visit about:addons and confirm it’s enabled
🌐 Verify supported sites
Works only on YouTube and Vimeo
🔄 Reload the page
Required after first install
🧪 Check the console
Press F12 and look for extension errors
🦊 Firefox version
Requires Firefox 147.0 or later

⚠️ Known Limitations

💻 Desktop YouTube Background playback often works natively; this extension mainly benefits mobile users.
⏸️ Timeout Prompts Does not block YouTube’s “Are you still watching?” dialog.
🧩 Firefox forks May not work on forks lacking wrappedJSObject support.
🛑 Extension Conflicts Some ad blockers or privacy tools may interfere.

🔐 Permissions & Privacy Required Permissions:

*://*.youtube.com/*
*://*.youtube-nocookie.com/*
*://*.vimeo.com/*

These permissions are strictly necessary to inject the content script that overrides the Page Visibility API on supported sites. 🔒 Privacy Guarantee

No data collection
No tracking or analytics
No external network requests
All logic runs locally in your browser

🧑‍💻 Support & Source

🐞 Report Issues: https://github.com/LabinatorSolutions/play-youtube-video-in-background/issues
📦 Source Code: https://github.com/LabinatorSolutions/play-youtube-video-in-background

📜 Disclaimer This extension is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to YouTube, Vimeo, Google, or Mozilla. It respects platform terms by:

❌ Not downloading or modifying video content
✅ Only ensuring the browser reports an “active” page state

Use responsibly and in accordance with the terms of supported platforms. 👨🏻‍🔬 Credits Developed by Labinator.

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