Top 15 Ways To Fix YouTube Keeps Pausing Issue [2023]

Are you trying to watch videos but YouTube keeps pausing? Streaming platforms can have issues and YouTube is no exception.

Many users have had the same problem with YouTube where playback keeps pausing randomly every few seconds. Honestly, it is disturbing!

If you have been looking for the solution around the internet but can’t seem to find the right answer you are in the right place.

In this article, you are going to find out what is causing your YouTube to keep pausing itself and how to fix it.

Let’s get started!

Why does YouTube keep pausing?

Various reasons can make your YouTube keep pausing.

The most common issue is poor internet which makes the app constantly buffers as it pre-downloads the cache of the video you are watching.

Besides that, there can be many other reasons why this happens as listed below;

• Having the “Remind Me to Take a break” feature turned on.
• Insufficient Storage space
• Corrupt Cache
• Bugs with the YouTube app
• Poor Internet connection
• Using outdated versions of YouTube
• Issues with YouTube servers
• Excessive placement of ads by the creator
• High Number of users
• Faulty headphones

Now that you are aware of why YouTube keeps pausing itself, let us look at how to solve it. You can as well decide to download the YouTube video to your storage for offline viewing.

How To Fix YouTube Keeps Pausing Issue

Below are the ways to stop YouTube from pausing;

1. Check Your Internet Connection

Videos cache needs to be pre-downloaded (buffered) to ensure a seamless experience while you watch YouTube videos.

Having a poor and unstable internet connection will cause frequent pauses in YouTube playback if the internet connection is slow. Ensure that your internet connection/Wi-Fi is fast. Run a speed test via fast.com

Try using other apps, opening the browser, and seeing whether they are also slow.

If your internet connection is acting slow restart your device i.e modem, router, or phone to refresh the internet connection.

Alternatively, you can lower the video quality that you are streaming. Higher video quality such as 480p, 720p, 1080p, and beyond require fast and stable internet connections

Change to video qualities such as 360p or below.

2. Check Your Headphones or Headphone Jack

Sometimes the issue can be with your headphones being broken or not properly fitted.

This is also true for example with AirPods, which if not properly fitted in the ears, have the effect of making playback of the YouTube videos pause.

For wired earphones, it is possible that wires are broken or faulty somewhere, consider changing your headphones and check whether the issue has been solved.

The headphone jack on your PC can also be stuffed up with dirt or materials that cause hurdles with headphones. Use a blower or take your laptop to an expert to fix the issue.

3. Turn off the “Remind Me to Take a break” Feature

The “Remind Me to Take a break” feature helps to limit excess usage of YouTube.

By setting this feature, you instruct YouTube to remind you to keep off the app and take a break depending on the time you set.

Although this feature is helpful, it can interfere with your streaming experience and make YouTube randomly pause. In fact, most users in forums such as Reddit have found this fix to work for them.

To Turn Remind Me to Take a break feature off;

• Open the YouTube app
• Tap the Profile icon in the top right corner

• Select Settings
• Tap General
• Toggle OFF the Remind me to take a break button and open YouTube to see whether the issue has been solved.

4. Clear YouTube Cache

Cache are temporary files used by apps to ensure fast and proper running.

YouTube stores the videos you previously watched as cache.

When cache constantly piles up, it causes slowing down of the app, freezing, crashing, and other performance issues.

Corrupt cache files can be the reason why YouTube keeps pausing every few seconds thus clearing them can help fix the issue.

To Clear cache;

• Head to Settings
• Apps / Apps & Notifications
• Select YouTube App from the list

• Tap Storage & cache
• Tap Clear cache

If after clearing the cache you still face issues then follow the same steps above but this time on the last step tap clear storage

5. Conflicting Third-party App

Some applications do not work well with others. Having conflicting apps installed on your device can cause frequent errors, as a result, disrupting your streaming experience on YouTube.

This can be a new app you have recently installed, antivirus, or VPN causing the trouble

Uninstall the suspected apps or restart your phone to close every running service.

When your phone gets back on, open the app and check whether it is still pausing randomly pausing videos.

6. Update Your YouTube App

Using outdated apps not only causes performance issues but also security risks to your phone. Outdated apps cannot run properly with other up-to-date services on your phone and contain glitches and bugs.

If you are using an outdated YouTube app, update it.

Head to the Play Store, and update. This can help fix the issue of auto-pausing playback.

7. Insufficient Storage Space 

Apps need enough storage space on your phone to run correctly.

YouTube needs space to store cache which is pre-loaded as you watch videos to enable you to watch without disturbance of breaking as you stream.

Space is also needed to store downloaded videos.

When your phone runs out of sufficient space, it can cause issues and make YouTube videos randomly pause as you try to play them.

Clear some files for space and run the app again. This might help solve the problem.

8. Use an Adblocker

It is possible that the creator has placed many ads in between various video segments. If that is the case, consider using an adblocker to have a seamless viewing experience without pauses or breaks.

Browsers like Chrome offer in-built ad blocking, plugins, or stand-alone apps. However, be careful with installing random ad blockers since some come along with viruses.

I recommend AdGuard for guarding against excessive ads not only on YouTube but also on other sites, browsers, apps or games. It is available for installation on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android.

9. Turn off Restricted Background Data Usage

Another issue can be because of your phone’s settings.

Device settings such as battery optimization, and restriction of background data usage by apps can interfere with your playback experience while you watch videos.

Restricting apps from running in the background helps save mobile data.

Have you restricted apps from running in the background? 

You can allow only YouTube (and other apps you wish) to use data in the background without limitations.

To allow YouTube unrestricted background data usage;

• Head to phone settings
• Tap Network & Internet > Data Usage

• Tap Data Saver
• Tap Unrestricted data

• From the apps list, scroll down to YouTube and toggle ON the button next to it

This will enable unrestricted background data usage for the app

10. Turn off Battery Saving Feature

Similarly, if you have a battery saver/power turned on it might cause YouTube videos to keep pausing randomly.

This is because your phone is trying to save power and hence will interfere with apps that drain the battery.

To Turn off the battery saver;

• Scroll down the Notification Panel
• Locate the battery-saver icon and turn it off

11. Clear Cache on Your Browser

If you are using a browser chances are that the issue is cache piling up in your browser.

Browsers can have issues and a simple way to fix this is by clearing your browser cache.

To clear browser cache;

• Open the Google Chrome browser.
• In the address bar, input chrome://net-internals/#dns and hit Enter.

• Click Clear host cache button.

• Close and re-open Google Chrome

If you still facing issues even after clearing the browser cache, then change to a different browser and check whether this issue still exists. Try out other browsers such as Mozilla, Opera, and Bing to find out whether the issue still persists.

Disable Hardware Acceleration on Opera

As I dug up posts in forums, I discovered that for Opera browser users, turning on Hardware acceleration can potentially make YouTube randomly pause. Try disabling Hardware acceleration on the Opera browser and this would help you fix the issue.

12. Auto-Pause Feature

YouTube default settings have an Auto-pause feature that pauses videos when you have been inactive on your device for a while.

It helps to prevent you from missing out on the content that you were watching.

This can be triggered while you have left your phone aside and doing other activities i.e working out. 

13. Disable Browser Extensions/Addons

Extensions are useful add-ons to get things such as grammar editing, and taking screenshots, done easily within a browser. They add extra functionality to your browser.

Extensions can as well cause YouTube to keep pausing videos. This can happen because of a newly installed extension that is incompatible or the accumulation of many extensions on your browser causing issues.

Temporarily disable or remove some extensions and check whether you are still getting issues.

To disable Browser Extensions;

• Click the three-dot icon in the top right corner to open the Menu
• Select More Tools
• Select Extensions
• Disable the Extensions

Close all tabs and re-open Chrome. Open YouTube to see whether the issue has been solved.

14. Disable YouTube Data Saver

It is also possible that you have enabled YouTube’s data saver. This is different from your device’s batter saver as it is separate in the YouTube app.

YouTube’s battery saving feature will throttle your playback flow and cause frequent pauses when you go over the set limit.

This is usually helpful if you are trying to save data but if data is not your issue, you can consider disabling YouTube’s data saver feature.

To disable YouTube Data Saver;

• Open the YouTube app.
• Tap your profile icon in the top-right corner to head to Settings.
• Select Data saving.
• Turn off the Data saving mode toggle.

15. Browse YouTube Later

Perhaps YouTube is experiencing a busy day and there is a traffic overload. This can cause the app to constantly pause or break. If the state of affairs is as so, try browsing YouTube at a later time besides that exact moment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion 

I hope this article helped you fix the issue of YouTube keeps pausing. If you are still facing any issues, comment below and I will reach out to you.

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