Forum Discussion

emmed's avatar
emmed
Binge Watcher
3 months ago
Solved

YouTube Keep Watching. can it be turned off?

Have a new Roku 40-Inch 1080p Full HD Smart Roku TV with Roku TV. When I put on band albums on YouTube, after a while I get this message "Video paused. Keep watching?" Or "Still watching? Video will pause." I have to press "OK"

There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason. Yesterday I got the 1st msg after 43 minutes. Then the 2nd 3 hrs 9 min.  What a nuisance!

Does Roku think I'm incapable of deciding whether or not I want to keep watching? Or that I don't know I can set the sleep timer? It's actually turned the TV off if I don't see the pause messages. Why is Roku policing how long I have my TV on?

I doubt it's a YouTube issue as I've never had those messages on my laptop or phone. Can I turn it off?

Thanks

  • RokuTakashi's avatar
    RokuTakashi
    3 months ago

    Hi, emmed 

    Thanks for reaching out.

    The "Video paused. Continue watching?" prompt on the YouTube app is a feature that pauses video playback after a period of inactivity. It prompts the user to confirm if they want to resume watching.

    This is a feature managed directly on the YouTube app. To learn more about this, you can reach out to YouTube's support and inquire further for assistance here: YouTube | Help

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks,
    Roku Community Team

4 Replies

  • RokuTakashi's avatar
    RokuTakashi
    Community Moderator
    3 months ago

    Hi, emmed 

    Thanks for reaching out.

    The "Video paused. Continue watching?" prompt on the YouTube app is a feature that pauses video playback after a period of inactivity. It prompts the user to confirm if they want to resume watching.

    This is a feature managed directly on the YouTube app. To learn more about this, you can reach out to YouTube's support and inquire further for assistance here: YouTube | Help

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks,
    Roku Community Team

    • emmed's avatar
      emmed
      Binge Watcher
      3 months ago

      Thanks. Guess I'll give that a try but as I mentioned, I've never had the issue in my laptop or phone.

    • emmed's avatar
      emmed
      Binge Watcher
      3 months ago

      Well, it's happened again - only this time it was while I was watching the PBS app that's installed on the Roku home screen.

      Prior to buying this Roku TV, I used Roku with the Roku plug in devices - one for at least 3 years. Not once did I get a message saying PBS would be paused unless I confirmed I was still watching it.

      Why would any app or Roku think JUDGING how long a person watches TV is any concern of theirs? If I want my TV on 24/7 why does Roku or any app have control of my TV?

      How do I turn this off. And btw, it doesn't happen to my Visio TV in my LR.

      • AvsGunnar's avatar
        AvsGunnar
        Community Streaming Expert
        3 months ago

        emmed 

        Some channels/apps have their own streaming limitations/checks to see if user is still watching, but Roku does have a Bandwidth Saver setting that will issue this prompt as well. (normally 4hrs w/o any user interaction).

        Try disabling the Bandwidth Saver and see if it helps with your issue. (Settings/Network/Bandwidth Saver)

        ----

        If you are having disruptions shorter than 4hrs, then see if the Power Savings Feature on the Roku device or RokuTV may be a contributor. (Settings/System/Power/Auto-Power Savings/20-min inactivity).