How to play audio from any website in the background with Vivaldi on Android

As part of the latest release - Vivaldi 5.7 - the browser has been updated with several new features on Android. A much-anticipated addition is playing audio in the background, allowing you to play audio from any web page when the browser is minimized.

See how to enable background sound on Vivaldi and see what other features this browser has to offer through the following article!

How to enable background sound on Vivaldi

Vivaldi has implemented background audio playback on the latest version of the browser on Android. Therefore, you need to update this app on your device first, or download Vivaldi from the Play Store if you haven't already.

Once updated, open Vivaldi browser on your phone and follow these steps to enable background sound playback:

1. Tap the tab icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to access the tab view.

2. Press the 3 vertical dots button at the top and select Settings from the menu.

3. Scroll down to General and turn on the switch next to Allow background audio playback .

4. When Vivaldi asks you to relaunch the app for the change to take effect, press the Relaunch now button .

Vivaldi will now enable background audio in the browser. It does this system-wide, meaning you don't have to enable the feature for each individual site.

How to play sound in the background when multitasking

Vivaldi's background play feature makes multitasking so much more fun. With this feature, for example, you can now reply to messages, browse the most popular social media sites, or do anything while listening to your favorite podcast or song in the background.

Just go to the video sharing or streaming website you want to watch the content on and start playing any video. Swipe up on the multitasking bar to minimize Vivaldi and it will continue to play the sound in the background. The feature even works on YouTube, where the option to play in the background is limited to paid users using the dedicated app.

Keep in mind that if you start playing media on another app, Vivaldi will stop playing the sound in the background and you'll need to turn it back on manually, either from the app or the notification panel. Also, if you just want to keep the sound playing in the background, you can simply lock your phone screen.

What's new in Vivaldi 5.7?

Playing audio in the background is just one of several new features in a sizable update to the Vivaldi Android browser. The following features are among many other highlights:

1. Block autoplay videos (this option is disabled by default, but you can enable it if needed).
2. Start up faster, even when you have hundreds of tabs open.
3. Scalable user interface better adapts to different screen sizes.
4. Reminder to sync data between devices after 10 hours of use or after the third application opening.

Chrome and Firefox already offer a way to play audio from sites like YouTube in the background, so it's time for Vivaldi to offer a similar solution to its users. And surprisingly, it offers a much better solution than the other two browsers, via a toggle switch.

Now you can easily enjoy content from YouTube, such as while multitasking or lock screen, without YouTube Premium subscription. This, combined with other features in Vivaldi 5.7, enhances the overall user experience in the browser.

Samuel Daniel

Update 27 February 2023