How To Play TikTok in the Background on iPhone and Android

June 27, 2022

For TikTok users who want to savor their battery or relax while listening to a TikTok live ASMR and other videos without having the app open, Android and iPhone users will be pleased to hear that you can listen to TikTok in the background. Here is how to keep TikTok playing in the background on iOS and Android, as well as instructions on how to stop it playing.

How to keep TikTok playing in the background

tiktok playing in background

Here’s how to allow TikTok to play videos in the background:

Click live videos.
- TikTok only allows live videos to be streamed in the background.
Click share.
- This can be found in the bottom right-hand corner of the live videos.
- The share icon is a small right-hand facing arrow.
Select “Background Player”.
- This will bring up 3 options: “Picture-in-picture,” “Audio,” and “None.”
Ensure “Audio” is ticked.
- This allows users to play the audio from live videos when the app isn’t selected.

Users can now experience live videos in the background when not using the app.

Note: Users can also select “Picture-in-picture,” which allows the app to play in a floating window when users leave the app.

How To Stop TikTok Videos Playing in the Background

Here’s how to stop TikTok videos playing in the background:

Select live videos.
- TikTok only gives the option for live videos to be streamed while not using the app.
Click share.
- The small right-hand “share” arrow can be found in the bottom right corner of live videos.
Click “Background Player”.
- Users will now see 3 options: “Picture-in-picture,” “Audio,” and “None.”
Ensure “None” is ticked.
- This will prevent live videos from playing in the background.