# YouTube Audio Mode
> Play YouTube videos in audio-only mode to save bandwidth and reduce internet usage
Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/youtube-audio-mode](https://chrome-stats.com/d/youtube-audio-mode)
## Overview
- **ID:** `youtube-audio-mode`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** Ahmed Nasser
- **Category:** feeds-news-blogging,appearance,games-entertainment
- **Daily users:** 204
- **Weekly downloads:** 17
- **Rating:** 4.11 / 5 (9 ratings)
- **Version:** 2.4.0
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-31
- **First published:** 2025-12-18
- **Size:** 378 KB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-08
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/youtube-audio-mode/)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/youtube-audio-mode/privacy/](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/youtube-audio-mode/privacy/)
## Description
Play YouTube videos in audio-only mode to save bandwidth and reduce internet usage
🎧 Transform YouTube into Your Audio Player
YouTube Audio Mode is a lightweight Chrome extension that lets you enjoy YouTube content in audio-only mode, dramatically reducing your internet usage while keeping the music playing. Perfect for music lovers, podcast listeners, and anyone with limited bandwidth.
✨ Key Features
- One-Click Audio Mode - Toggle audio-only playback with a single click or keyboard shortcut (Alt+Shift+A) for Windows or (Option+Shift+A) for MacOS
- Automatic Quality Control - Intelligently sets video quality to 144p to minimize data usage while maintaining clear audio
- Beautiful Visualizer - Enjoy a stunning animated audio visualizer while your content plays
- Data Tracking - Monitor how much data you've saved compared to standard 720p or 1080p quality
- Time Statistics - Track your listening time and active usage by month or all-time
- Customizable Themes - Choose from 6 beautiful preset themes or create your own custom background color/image
- Seamless Experience - Works across YouTube navigation without interrupting playback
- Privacy-Focused - All data stored locally, no external servers or tracking
📊 Smart Statistics Dashboard
Track your usage with three key metrics:
- Data Saved - Shows bandwidth saved vs 720p quality
- Audio Listened - Actual playback time (only counts when playing)
- Active Time - Total time with audio mode enabled
Filter statistics by "This Month" or "All Time" to see your impact.
🎨 Beautiful Design
- Modern, premium interface with smooth animations
- 6 preset gradient themes: Default, Sunset, Ocean, Midnight, Fire, and Minimal Dark
- Custom color picker for personalized backgrounds
- Optional custom image backgrounds
- Responsive design that works perfectly with YouTube's interface
⚡ Performance Optimized
- Minimal resource usage
- Optimized DOM queries and event handlers
- Smart quality enforcement that doesn't interrupt playback
- Page Visibility API integration to pause tracking when tab is hidden
🎯 Perfect For
- Music streaming on limited data plans
- Podcast listening without video buffering
- Saving mobile data while enjoying YouTube
- Reducing bandwidth costs
- Background listening while working
- Anyone who prefers audio-only content
🔒 Privacy & Permissions
This extension requires minimal permissions:
- Storage - To save your preferences and usage statistics locally
- Active Tab - To apply audio mode to the current YouTube tab
- Scripting - To modify the YouTube player and apply quality settings
- YouTube Access - Only works on youtube.com/watch pages
All your data stays on your device. We don't collect, transmit, or sell any information.
💡 How It Works
- Click the extension icon when watching any YouTube video
- Toggle "Audio Only" mode ON
- The video player is hidden and replaced with a beautiful visualizer
- Quality is automatically set to 144p to save bandwidth
- Enjoy your content while saving data!
⌨️ Keyboard Shortcut
Use Alt+Shift+A to quickly toggle audio mode without opening the popup.
🆕 What's New in v1.0
- Initial release with full feature set
- Advanced statistics tracking with monthly/all-time filters
- Customizable themes and backgrounds
- Optimized performance and quality control
- Smart playback state restoration
📝 Support
Having issues or suggestions? Visit our GitHub repository or contact the developer.
## Rankings
- #8,126 — Overall
- #37 — udio
- #39 — audio
- #41 — reduce
- #81 — usage
- #105 — model
## Permissions and access
### Permissions
- `storage`
- `activeTab`
- `scripting`
- `webNavigation`
### Host permissions
- `https://www.youtube.com/*`
### Content script matches
- `www.youtube.com`
## Safety
- **Risk impact:** High risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** Moderate risk likelihood
### Analysis details
- Request access to the following domains: youtube.com
- This extension was recently updated in the past month. New updates may not be stable or safe.
> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).
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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/youtube-audio-mode)