How to get YouTube mini player on the lock screen

I would use NewPipe instead of any Youtube app.
I am not sure if it will play on the lockscreen, but I do know that there is a pop-up player and it will play in the background.

Plus, there are no ads, and there is the option to download, among other beneefits.

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.schabi.newpipe/

 

There is a way to import your subscriptions.
I don"t know about watch history.

That can be rebuit with NewPipe, but this app does not use any of Google Services or anything to do wth Google.

So that info may not transfer.

I have successfully transferred my Youtube subscriptions to NewPipe.
That being said, it was not straightforward or very simple.

What it entails is going into the settings of NewPipe, and finding the Import function.
This will open your browser to a Google page where you can download your subscription information.
{This is usually where I have the most problem, maybe it's my browser- I am not sure.}

After the file is downloaded, then you go to the Import/Export settings of NewPipe, select import, and your file manager should open so that you can locate and then select the file.

In my experience, I then had to close the app, take it out of recents, and then open it again to see the changes.

Hope this helps.
If need be, when I have the time I can try to type out the exact step by step directions.

 

Oh, they do- they just want you to pay for it, lol.

Yeah, NewPipe is pretty great.

Just be aware that Google absolutely hates it, and will periodically change their inner workings, and then NewPipe and other apps like it will stop working.

But fear not, because the folks at NewPipe work tirelessly in such situations to get an update out as soon as possible.

When such an incidence happens, you can check on what is going on on GitHub, basically in real time.