Why Does YouTube Keep Pausing – 10 Easy Ways to Fix the Problem 2024

Why does YouTube keep pausing? You must have asked this question if you are an avid YouTube video geek. Youtube is a video streaming platform. People all over the world use YouTube for either entertainment purposes or academic purposes.

Many people have made it their income source. Given its wide range and audience, one might think YouTube works best for all! You are not wrong, but you are not right either.

Youtube logo/icon on android phone
Why does YouTube keep pausing

Summary of Why does YouTube keep pausing and its solutions.

CausesSolution
Youtube Default Setting Use the extension available on your browser
Outdated Version of YoutubeAlways use the updated version
Caches and CookiesClear your caches by going into the app setting of Youtube
Internet Connection IssuesUse a stable connection with high speed to stream videos
Browser TroublesUse a compatible browser according to your device
Headphones and JacksUse headphones that come with your mobile device or invest in good-quality headphones
Other SoftwaresClose the apps running in the background
Take a Break FeatureOutdated Version of YouTube
Loading IssuesWait for the video to fully load in order to avoid buffering

Many Android users have trouble streaming or playing videos without interruptions. These people complain about why does YouTube keep pausing on Android mobiles. People want to watch videos without any pausing and their frustration for not getting them is understandable.

We hear you! That is why we are here to give you some tips and tricks to work around it.

Video Guide on Youtube Keeps Pausing Issue

YouTube video

Why does YouTube keep Pausing?

If you have been using YouTube for a while, you may have come across the problem that your video keeps on pausing. It is nothing to worry about if it is the occurrence of one time or two.

But if you are facing this issue frequently, then there can be many causes for it. Let’s dig into the reasons and their solution.

Youtube Default Setting

Youtube works for you and therefore, there are some features that help you with having your entertainment experience to the utmost level. However, these features can hinder your enjoyment.

There is an auto-pause option in YouTube’s default setting. If you are not active on your device, it will stop playing the video because YouTube wants you to pay attention to the content. In this case, you will not miss a second of the video. But there are many instances where you are not using your device but are active on YouTube.

Let’s take an example of you watching a drama while eating. You have your device up against a book or a stand and are eating your food while watching your favorite drama. Youtube might consider you inactive and pause the video. It raises the probability of the question Why does YouTube keep Pausing on Android? Interruption! Not good at all!

Solution:

You can open Chrome or firefox, whichever browser you are using. There are some extensions available (for example Autotube) that can help you enable the option of auto-pause on Youtube.

Loading Issues

Loading issues can also cause your video to pause on YouTube. Buffering can be frustrating but it requires patience. You have to wait for the video to fully load in order to avoid buffering. There is no hack for this issue but a little bit of patience.

Youtube Keeps Pausing – Outdated Version of Youtube

Many people disable the auto-update option on Playstore. Some people have it disabled because they want to keep using the old version of an app. It can come with your habit and comfort of using the same version and you do not want to experiment.

Some people have it disabled because they are using mobile data and do not want to waste their MBs on updating an app. All reasons are valid but they can cause apps to crash. This may be the reason that YouTube keeps pausing on your device.

Solution:

It is always better to use the updated version of an app if you want your experience to be stress-free.
Go to the app store and download the latest version of YouTube. If you are still facing the pausing issue, then it is better to uninstall YouTube and reinstall it. That can also help with why does YouTube keeps pausing issues.

A Person holding Ipad with youtube open
A Person holding iPad with youtube open

Caches and Cookies

Caches and cookies are actually the records of your movement on the app or browser. Many times, your data is stored in caches. It is safe to say, it is completely unnecessary and a waste of space on your device.

Having too much data stored in caches can slow your app down or even your device sometimes. It is better to have them cleared all the time. We do not like to have our movements recorded either.

Solution:

You can clear your caches from your device. All you have to do is to go to the settings and then the apps section.

Click on your desired app and in our case, click on YouTube. You will see the details of the app on your screen. There will also be an option to “clear cache”.

Click on it to get rid of unnecessary data. Make sure you do not click on “clear data” as it might delete all the videos saved on YouTube.

Why does my YouTube keep pausing – Cell phone settings

Sometimes your mobile phone settings are the reason YouTube videos keep pausing. Some cell phone apps use data in the background, and most people are unaware of this. If your phone is in battery-saving mode, your YouTube video streaming may be hindered.

Solution 

You can solve the background usage of the data by limiting the apps to the use of mobile data in the background. By doing this you can save mobile data and as a result, you get a better streaming experience on Youtube.

You need to follow these steps to restrict apps running in the background of your Device

  • To start, go to your cell phone’s settings.
  • Click the Network section
  • Then turn on the Data Saver and go to the unrestricted data section
  • The list of apps in the unrestricted data section only allows YouTube.

Another solution is you turn off the battery saver mode of your phone for better streaming performance of YouTube. Follow these steps to turn off battery-saving mode.

  • Swipe down on your phone
  • Find the battery saver in the Notification panel
  • Click the battery saver and turn it off

Youtube Videos Randomly Pausing – Internet Connection Issues

The devil of it all! Your internet connection! There is a chance that you are having an issue with using YouTube and watching videos without pausing because you do not have a stable internet connection. Poor internet connection is a common cause of Why does Youtube Keep Pausing. For you to watch videos without pausing, your internet should have at least a speed of 500 kbps.

Solution:

It is better to have a stable connection with high speed to stream videos with a pause. You can use a homemade cell phone signal booster to boost your cell phone signal which may improve your internet. With good Wi-Fi or 4G signal, you can watch High-quality YouTube videos.

If you do not have high internet speed, you can always try to lower the quality of your video.

Sometimes, watching a video in 240p or 360p quality is a good idea. If you are not comfortable watching a video of lower quality, it is always an option you buy a new internet connection that is high in speed.

Browser Troubles

You use your browser for many reasons. Sometimes it is for random searches, sometimes for news, and sometimes for entertainment purposes. Whatever you do on your browser, it keeps track of your record. It keeps on saving the record of your movements on the internet and has it saved in caches and cookies.

Because of this, you might feel YouTube buffer a lot and it causes a lot of pausing on your videos.

Solution:


If you are using YouTube on a browser and it keeps on pausing, it is always better to try using it on another browser. Because sometimes, it is the unnecessary data saved on your browser that affects the working of apps. Keep on checking your browser’s cookies to clear the caches saved and it might help solve the pausing video issue.

Also, keep on checking the updates. Sometimes, your browser is just outdated. An outdated version of your browser can slow down the working of your apps. Also, check which browser is compatible with your device.

Why does my youtube keep pausing – Storage Space Problem

Having less or no space in your phone is one of the major reason why does YouTube keep pausing. When you have insufficient phone storage, apps cannot work properly. As a result, it can cause a disturbance in playing the YouTube videos.

Solution

Free some space by deleting unnecessary files, images, and videos from your phone. You can also use an external memory card if your device supports this, otherwise, transferring data to some other device would be a good option.

Some people use heavy apps for video editing and logo making that consume a lot of storage space on a cell phone. You should better use the online logo maker and video editing tools that help you deal with storage issues and eventually resolve the YouTube pausing problem.

Cache clear your phone and run YouTube again.

Other Incompatible Apps

Some apps are incompatible with others. Having competing apps installed on your smartphone might cause an error and thus interrupt your YouTube viewing experience.

Solution

You need to remove or delete these conflicting apps so that, YouTube will stop pausing on your phone.

Using a browser that is not compatible with your device can cause your mobile to crash down.

YouTube Randomly Pauses – Headphones and Jacks

Headphones help you cancel out the unnecessary noise from the outside. This way, you can enjoy and listen to the audio in better quality. It is all cool until it becomes the reason for interruption.

YouTube has a feature that whenever you remove your headphones, it causes the video on Youtube to pause. It is for the convenience of the users. But sometimes, your headphone jack does not fit properly in your phone. This can cause the pausing of your videos.

YouTube randomly pauses the video to indicate that your headphone is not properly wired in. Also, your charger’s jack can also cause the same issue.

Solution:

Use headphones that come with your mobile device since they are the best compatible with your device. If you do not have the originals, then better invest in good-quality headphones and chargers. It is better to use Bluetooth headphones since they can also free you from the struggles of getting stuck with the strings!

Youtube Keeps Pausing – Third-party Software:

Sometimes, other software on your mobile can cause video pausing trouble on YouTube. Many times, it is the backup tool that interferes with the working of YouTube or other apps. It could be because those tools find YouTube as a security threat if you are watching videos at that time.

Solution:

Always download data or backup when you are not using any other app. If it is slowing YouTube down or interrupting the buffering of videos, it is better to close the apps running in the background one by one. It might help with the smooth running of Youtube and you are good to go.

Take a Break Feature

Youtube is open on a laptop

With the recent update, Youtube introduced the take a break feature also named “remind me to take a break”. It works to help you track your time on the app. For example, many people set the timer on Youtube and it will pause the video to tell them that they have spent that time period, This can be the reason why does YouTube keeps pausing.

For example, if you do not want to spend more than ten minutes on Youtube, you set the time interval for that and it will stop playing the video after the timer is up.

Solution:

You might have this option on without knowing that it is on. You can go to the setting and then general to enable this option. This might solve the issue and you will not face the trouble of video pausing on YouTube.

If you are suffering from the dilemma of why does YouTube keeps pausing then you better check the reasons mentioned above.

YouTube can give you a beautiful experience but you won’t be able to enjoy it fully if your videos keep pausing. We have briefly mentioned the possible causes and solutions. Make the best out of them and get out of the dilemma of why does YouTube keeps pausing.

FAQs

How to stop Youtube from pausing?

You can use the following ways to fix Youtube from pausing
1- Clear your caches.
2- Close and limit the apps running in the background.
3- Use the extension available on your browser.
4- Turn Off the Battery saver mode
5- Always use the updated version
6- Use YouTube Auto Pause Blocker
7- Turn off the take a break feature
8- Use good quality headphones
9- Improve your Internet Signals or Change the Internet
10- Clear Files to improve your Device storage.

Why does YouTube keep pausing every few seconds?

In case YouTube videos pause after a few seconds in Google Chrome, try some other browser like Safari, Firefox, IE, etc. Solution. Also clear cookies, cache, history, and temp files, and check updates of Youtube.

How do I turn auto-pause off?

Tap the round bracket ( ) icon in the upper left. Then Go to Settings > Logging after that Tap the Auto-pause line to turn it off or change the toggle.

What is auto-pause?

Auto Pause is the option to pause the timer automatically when you stop moving or when your pace or speed drops below a specified value so that your total span and the average rate do not get increased by any breaks.

What are Smart Stay and Smart pause?

Smart stay or smart pause basically sense your action using the front camera of your phone. When you are staring at your phone it keeps playing the video, and it pauses the video when you see it away from the screen.

Why does my YouTube keep pausing itself?

The YouTube app saves previously viewed videos as cache data. When the program collects too much cache, it might slow it down or cause problems.

Why does youtube music keep pausing

Youtube music pause because of the following reasons
1- Internet Connection Issues
2- Other Incompatible Apps
3- Browser Troubles
4- Outdated Version of Youtube
5- Headphones and Jacks
6- Take a Break Feature

Why does my youtube keep stopping?

If your internet connection goes down, your YouTube video may stop. The video may be loading, or there may be an unexpected server fault. When there is a network outage, YouTube’s built-in algorithm stops the video.

Why does YouTube Autoplay keep pausing?

The Auto-pause option is enabled by default, which is why your youtube Videos Randomly Pausing. This function is intended to pause videos that are not active on the device for an extended period of time so that you don’t miss the content that you are watching.

Jasper is a professional business and startup blogger that writes for a variety of leading sites. He loves content partnerships with advertisement agencies.