When OPPO introduced ColourOS 12, the company included a ‘Background Stream’ feature allowing users to play any multimedia content in the background. While the feature aimed to improve multitasking, it quickly became popular among users for YouTube playback.
As we are aware, YouTube restricts the background playback of videos unless you get their premium subscription. However, OPPO’s built-in feature functioned as a workaround to escape this paywall. It looks like Google has intervened in the matter, as OPPO has announced that it will remove the background stream feature from all devices with future OTA updates.
The announcement was spotted on OPPO’s Community, where the company mentions that the background stream feature from the Smart Sidebar will be removed to follow compliance requirements. The change will be applied across all devices.
OPPO will not release a separate update to remove the feature. Instead, the company will gradually work over the same by patching it in regular OTA updates. OPPO has also apologized for the inconvenience caused to its users.
Although Google or YouTube have not commented on the matter, the fact that OPPO says that it removed the feature due to compliance requirements suggests that the company received external pressure to take this action. YouTube has also been quite strict recently in enforcing its terms of service.
To recall, YouTube is waging a war against adblockers. The platform now restricts users from playing videos if it detects any attempts to block ads. YouTube also confirmed that viewers may experience slowed or buffered playback if they use adblockers.
The Google-owned company is also encouraging users to subscribe to YouTube Premium. Hence, it is possible that YouTube may have forced OPPO to roll back its background stream feature from all of its devices. The change will not just affect OPPO devices, but will also apply to Realme and OnePlus smartphones. Although those devices run on Realme UI and OxygenOS respectively, both software are based on ColorOS.
For reference, the YouTube Premium subscription is priced at Rs 129/month in India. Users can also purchase the family plan for Rs 189 per month, which can be shared with five other members. To promote its paid subscription, YouTube has also been partnering with smartphone brands to offer 3 months of free YouTube Premium on purchasing a new smartphone.
