6 Ways to Fix YouTube Videos Keeps Pausing

Quick Tips

• Try restarting the YouTube app or browser and ensure that your internet connection is working properly.
• Clearing the YouTube app cache or browser data can help fix such video playback issues.
• Using ad-blocker extensions can cause YouTube to malfunction, so it’s best to turn them off.

Try Basic Fixes

• Update the app: An outdated or buggy YouTube app could give you problems. Hence, it’s a good idea to first update the app from the Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone).
• Check your headphones: If you’re watching a YouTube video with headphones on, the app will automatically pause the video when it gets disconnected or removed. If your headphones are defective or loosely connected, it might cause YouTube to think they’re constantly being removed, leading to repeated pauses. To test this, try watching YouTube with a different set of headphones or speakers for a while.

Fix 1: Disable Remind Me to Take a Break

The “Remind me to take a break” feature in the YouTube app automatically pauses the video after a set interval to remind you to take breaks. If you no longer wish to be interrupted by it, you can disable this feature.

Step 1: Launch the YouTube app on your phone, go to the profile tab, and tap the gear icon in the top right corner.

Step 2: Tap General and turn off the switch next to Remind me to take a break.

Fix 2: Clear Cache and Data

The YouTube app stores your previously played videos as cache data. When the app accumulates too much cache, it can slow down or create issues like this one. Thus, you can try clearing the cache data to fix the issue.

Step 1: Long press the YouTube app icon and tap the info icon from the resulting menu.

Step 2: Go to Storage and tap the Clear cache option.

If the issue persists, repeat the above steps and choose the Clear data option. iPhone users can reinstall the YouTube app since there’s no option to clear the cache for the YouTube app.

Fix 3: Allow Unrestricted Data Usage to the YouTube App (Android)

Have you enabled Data Saver mode on your Android device? If so, YouTube might struggle with internet access, causing your videos to pause frequently. To resolve this, you should grant unrestricted data usage permissions to the YouTube app.

Step 1: Long press the YouTube app icon and tap the info icon from the menu that appears.

Step 2: Tap on Mobile data and enable the toggles for Allow background data usage and Allow data usage while Data saver is on.

Fix 4: Disable YouTube Data Saver Mode

YouTube’s data-saving mode can also cause your videos to pause randomly at times. Hence, it’s best to disable it.

Step 1: Launch the YouTube app on your phone, go to the profile tab, and tap the gear icon in the top right corner.

Step 2: Go to Data Saving and disable the toggle next to Data saving mode.

Fix 5: Disable Extensions

Whether you use extensions to block ads, translate YouTube subtitles, or manage passwords, these third-party add-ons can interfere with YouTube playback, causing it to pause mysteriously at times. You can consider disabling or removing extensions permanently to see if that helps.

To disable extensions in Google Chrome, type chrome://extensions in the address bar and hit Enter. Toggle off all of the extensions and then see if YouTube works fine.

Fix 6: Try Another Browser

Aside from disabling extensions, you can try using YouTube in another browser or in incognito mode. If that works, then YouTube’s pausing problem is likely due to a faulty browser. In such cases, simply updating or resetting the browser should solve the problem.