If you're over 18, YouTube autoplays its videos by default. This can be a pain because you can't control what YouTube plays next. Even worse, if you're watching the YouTube app on your shiny new tablet, autoplay videos can suck up your data without you realizing it.
On the other end of the spectrum, autoplayback is essential when jamming to a playlist or trying to binge a podcast. If you turned it off long enough ago, you might not remember how to turn it back on. So how do you control the simultaneously most useful and most annoying feature on YouTube?
What is autoplay?
There isn't one answer to the question, "What is YouTube autoplay?" On the one hand, there's the functionality that loads and plays a video shortly after the one you're watching ends. On the other hand, there's the functionality that silently plays a video as you scroll through your feed (inline playback in YouTube parlance). These two features function independently of each other, so changing one doesn't affect the other. Both of these functions can be turned off with a few clicks.
How to change YouTube's mobile inline playback settings
Inline playback has been a YouTube feature for at least five years, and depending on how you consume your media, it can be either a blessing or a curse. Thumbnails can be misleading, and being able to preview a video before you watch it can be nice. On the other hand, if you're on your phone but not on Wi-Fi, that's wasted data that you're paying for. Here's how to take control of inline playback.
We use an Android phone for this tutorial, but the features are largely the same if you use an iPhone or iPad.
- Open the YouTube app on your phone.
- Tap your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
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Select Settings from the page that opens.
- Tap General.
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Select Playback in feeds.
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Tap Off to turn off autoplaying videos in your YouTube feed. Select Wi-Fi only if you want to enable the feature only when your phone is connected to Wi-Fi.
How to change the autoplay settings on the YouTube app
Changing the autoplay options for videos is a simpler affair that doesn't require any menus.
- Tap a video to bring up the playback controls.
- Playback options appear at the top of the video.
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Tap the toggle to change the autoplayback behavior.
Alternatively, if you're looking for a more cumbersome method, there's a menu option you can change.
- Tap your profile photo in the upper-right corner.
- Select Settings from the page that opens.
- Tap Autoplay.
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Tap the toggle to change your settings.
Autoplay behavior is based on the device you use. You can turn on autoplay on your phone to listen to playlists and turn it off on your computer. Changes you make on YouTube do not affect your YouTube Music preferences. So, even if you turn off autoplay on YouTube, YouTube Music continues playing your favorite tracks without stopping.
How to change YouTube's inline playback settings on the web
If you want to change YouTube's inline playback settings on the web, just open a web browser, go to YouTube.com, and follow these steps:
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From the YouTube homescreen, click your profile picture in the upper-right corner of the screen.
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Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
- On the left side of the screen, select Playback and performance.
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Next to Browsing, in the middle of the screen, click the toggle next to Inline playback.
How to change the autoplay settings on the web
Changing the autoplayback behavior of a YouTube video on the web is virtually identical to changing it on the mobile app.
- Hover over the video to bring up the playback controls.
- Playback options appear at the bottom of the video.
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Tap the toggle to change the autoplay behavior.
Take control of YouTube
YouTube wants you to spend the most time possible on its platform, so it's no surprise that these features are enabled by default. Sometimes autoplay is the feature you need. Other times, it's downright annoying. After you've taken control of your video playback, check out these secret YouTube features to customize your experience even more.