User Guide¶
Everything Playback can do, and how to set it up.
Getting started¶
Open Playback and you land on the home screen, with a search bar at the top and quick-access tiles for Favorites, History, Files and Settings.
- Type a web address (like
example.com) to open that site directly - Type a search and it's sent to your default search platform (Google by default - see Search platform)
- Tap a suggestion tile to jump straight to it
The first time you open a page, Playback loads it in its own browser view, ready to play.
Background play¶
Once something is playing, open the in-page menu and tap Background play (or just lock your screen, or switch to another app) - playback keeps going.
While it's playing you get a notification with controls:
- Favorite - save the current page
- Previous / Next - skip within the page, where the site supports it
- Play / Stop
- Refresh - reload the page
Playback runs as a foreground service while something is playing, which is what lets Android keep it going with the screen off. Closing the notification or tapping its close action stops playback.
Keeping YouTube playing¶
On youtube.com, Playback automatically dismisses YouTube's own "Video paused. Continue watching?" prompt, which YouTube shows to pause background playback. This runs as a small script inside the page itself and only acts on that specific prompt - it won't resume a video you deliberately paused, or one that stopped because of a phone call or another app taking over audio.
Floating video¶
Tap Floating video in the in-page menu to shrink what you're watching into a small window that stays on top of other apps, so you can keep watching while you use something else.
- The floating window can be dragged anywhere on screen and resized with its resize handle
- Drag it to either edge and it collapses into a small bubble; tap the bubble to bring it back
- Use the floating window's own controls to open the full app or close the window
The first time you use this, Playback asks for the "display over other apps" permission, since Android requires it for any floating window. See Permissions below.
Note
The Background play and Floating video menu options both require something to already be playing.
Sleep timer (Pro)¶
From the in-page menu, tap Sleep and choose how long to keep playing before Playback stops automatically: Never, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours or 3 hours.
Loop playback (Pro)¶
From the in-page menu, tap Loop to repeat the current video instead of letting it end.
Search and browsing¶
Search platform¶
Choose what a plain search (not a web address) searches, in Settings → Search Platform: Google, Bing, YouTube, Reddit, Yahoo, Twitch or DuckDuckGo.
Desktop mode¶
In the in-page menu, switch on Desktop mode to load the desktop version of a site instead of its mobile version, then reload the page.
Favorites and History¶
- Favorite the page you're on from the in-page menu or the playback notification
- Open Favorites or History from the home screen to see your saved pages and everywhere you've been
- Clear your history at any time from the History screen
Opening a local video file (below) is never added to your history, and its Favorite and Share options are hidden, since it isn't a web page.
Local files¶
Tap Files on the home screen to open a video file already stored on your device, using Android's own file picker. It plays the same way any other page does, with background play and the floating window both available.
Shortcuts¶
- Pin the current page (Pro) - from the in-page menu, tap Shortcut to pin a shortcut straight to the page you're on
- Pin a platform or section - long-press your home screen, choose Widgets (or Shortcuts, depending on your launcher), and find Playback to pin a shortcut to a platform (YouTube, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, Spotify Web, Vimeo, Dailymotion or Google), a custom web address, or an app section (Favorites, History, Settings or Files)
Backup and Restore¶
Open Settings → Backup & Restore to save your favorites, history and settings to your own Google Drive.
- Tap to connect, and pick a Google account from the account chooser
- Tap Back up now, or turn on automatic backup and choose how often: Daily or Weekly
- By default, automatic backup only runs over Wi-Fi - you can allow mobile data instead in the same screen
- Restore the same backup on another device, or after reinstalling, from the same screen
Your backup is stored in your Google Drive's app-private storage, not in a folder you browse in the Drive app, and only Playback can read it.
Settings¶
Open Settings from the home screen for:
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Theme | Light, dark or follow the system |
| App language | Choose Playback's display language |
| Search Platform | Where a typed search is sent - see above |
| Disable swipe to refresh | Turn off pull-to-refresh if it interferes with a page's own scrolling |
| Backup & Restore | See above |
Settings also links to Androxus's other apps, Equalizer and Night Screen, if you'd like to install them.
Permissions¶
Playback asks for a permission only when a feature needs it:
| Permission | Needed for |
|---|---|
| Notifications | The playback controls notification, and reminder notifications you can ignore or dismiss |
| Display over other apps | The floating video window |
| Microphone | Only if a website you visit asks for it (for example, its own voice input) - Playback itself doesn't record audio |
See the Privacy Policy for exactly what each permission is used for and what happens to any data involved.
Free and Pro¶
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Background play, floating video | Yes | Yes |
| Favorites, History, Local files | Yes | Yes |
| Google Drive backup | Yes | Yes |
| Pin a shortcut to the current page | No | Yes |
| Sleep timer | No | Yes |
| Loop playback | No | Yes |
| Ads | Shown | None |
Playback Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription, or as a one-time purchase; some plans include a free trial. Exact pricing is shown in the app and on Google Play. Subscriptions can be managed or cancelled from your Google Play account at any time.