Sometimes YouTube will pause a video when there’s no user activity and give you a “Continue Watching” message. If you prefer to listen to music when the YouTube window is minimized, this feature interferes with comfortable listening. You have to go back to the site at times and click “Continue Watching”.
Of course, many users may say that there’s no problem. After all, it only takes a couple of clicks. But as a regular YouTube user, I, for example, find this feature annoying. It keeps me from listening to the playlist in the background when I’m doing something else, and I can’t be distracted by constantly pressing the button to continue. So, that’s why I want to show you a way to get rid of “Continue Watching” on YouTube.
How to turn off ‘Continue Watching’ on YouTube
Unfortunately, there is no built-in way to disable this feature on YouTube. All you can do is add a special extension for your browser to automatically continue watching the video you’re watching.
The extension name is YouTube NonStop. You can install it on your Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. This extension doesn’t prevent the confirmation window from appearing. It only blocks it and automatically clicks the confirmation box and holds the video without pausing.
The extension doesn’t require any settings on your part. All you have to do is install it in your browser and then let it run in the background. In addition, it can sometimes also help if YouTube is paused before watching the next video.
The pause will probably only last a few seconds while you listen and the extension confirms further viewing. However, it will be much shorter than if you went back to the website yourself and clicked the button. The plugin works even when the YouTube tab is running in the background and the browser window is minimized.
Is YouTube NonStop available for Safari?
When it comes to stopping this message in Safari, things are a little more complicated. There is currently no extension available that has the same effect as Chrome and Firefox options.
This is unlikely to affect any recommendations as to whether Safari is a good browser. It just doesn’t have that extension. If Safari has any weaknesses as a browser, it’s the small selection of extensions. But Safari has other interesting features. For example, you can set a custom Safari background in iOS 15.
Why does ‘Continue Watching’ appear on YouTube?
A feature introduced a few years ago by YouTube was essentially released without much publicity. Frankly, this message isn’t much different from a similar message that might appear on Netflix after viewing for some time without any activity. But this message shouldn’t be confused with the “Continue Watching” list on Netflix.
Clicking “Yes” or “Continue Watching” is easy enough, but why would you want to do that? It’s clear why YouTube wanted to make this change. Videos that aren’t viewed don’t drive additional traffic, which means lost ad revenue.
Consequently, it makes sense to include such a message from a business perspective. From the user’s perspective, it’s an unnecessary interruption. Fortunately, you already know how to get rid of it.
Read Also:
- How to clear Continue Watching on Peacock
- How to watch YouTube on Apple TV
- How to block YouTube ads on Roku
What are the privacy options on YouTube?
If you want to watch a video but don’t want it reflected in YouTube’s recommendations, you can turn on incognito mode. This will allow you not to save the fact of viewing the account history. In the mobile app, you can do this by tapping on the profile image and selecting the “Turn on Incognito” option, and you can disable it there as well. Moreover, you can also clear your watch history on the YouTube app.
Nevertheless, everything is a little more complicated in the web version:
- You need to click on the three-line menu icon in the upper left corner and select “History”.
- Then click “Pause Watch History”, which will appear on the right side of the screen.
- Finally, click on the “Pause” button in the confirmation window that appears.
It’s a little-known fact, but by default, YouTube shows lists of videos you like and channels you’re subscribed to. If you want to keep this information to yourself, open the privacy settings and check the “Keep all your favorite videos private” and “Keep all subscriptions private” boxes.