Listening to a service without the video

Video uses far more data than sound alone, and on a phone that matters. While a service is on air you can turn the picture off and keep the audio.

Turning the picture off

Under the broadcast there is a button marked Listen only, next to Live chat and Prayer request. Press it and the video is replaced by a card showing the name of the service. The sound continues without a break.

The button then reads Show video. Press it again to bring the picture back.

The site remembers your choice, so if you usually listen rather than watch, it will open that way next time on the same device.

Keeping control when you scroll

With no picture on screen there is nothing to see as you scroll down, so the small player bar appears at the bottom instead, with the title and a pause button. It stays there until you scroll back up.

What this does and does not do

Being honest about this is worth more than overselling it. Turning the picture off usually lowers the amount of data used, because the broadcast is sent at a smaller size. It is not a guaranteed saving, because the service still arrives as a video stream underneath.

It also will not keep playing if you lock your phone or move to another app. For that you would need an audio-only broadcast, which is something we may add later.

If data is your main worry, listening to recorded sermons from the archive is lighter than any live broadcast.