YouTube’s autoplay feature starts the next related content without user intervention when the video being watched ends. To turn off the feature, users can use the “Autoplay” toggle in the video player on a computer, or in the player or the app’s settings on a phone or tablet. Similar options are also available on iPhone and iPad.
Because the autoplay setting may vary between devices, it needs to be checked separately on phones and computers. This setting does not control videos starting automatically while browsing the home page. YouTube keeps the feature turned off by default for users aged 13-17, while it keeps it turned on for accounts belonging to users aged 18 and over. Autoplay may be stopped after 30 minutes of inactivity on mobile data or 4 hours on a Wi-Fi connection.
Why it matters
Autoplay can affect control over the viewing experience because it may cause a new video to start without the user’s choice when the content being watched ends. The setting’s differing implementation across devices means that a change made only on a computer or only on a phone may not apply to all usage patterns. In addition, turning off the automatic transition after a video does not prevent videos from starting automatically while browsing the home page; these two behaviors need to be considered separately. YouTube’s use of different defaults for different age groups and its ability to stop autoplay depending on the type of connection show that people using the same account may encounter different results. The guide clarifies which setting affects which situation by making these distinctions visible.
Background
YouTube is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we have published 4 reports mentioning this name in the last 90 days; the most recent is dated 25 August 2026. The development here will be added alongside those records in our archive; readers can follow the timeline in full by browsing the previous articles bearing the same name in the archive.