Forum Discussion

emmed's avatar
emmed
Binge Watcher
4 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 ...
  • RokuTakashi's avatar
    RokuTakashi
    4 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
4 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
4 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).

  • emmed's avatar
    emmed
    Binge Watcher
    10 days ago

    Thank you. I've tried everything that's been suggested but it still happens on YouTube - not any other Roku channel.

    The cutoff time varies but it's generally around 2-3 hours - when I have music channels on - I'm not watching videos, just have the music playing & suddenly it'll just pause & ask me if I want to continue watching. 

    I haven't found anyone at YouTube willing to answer my question about it - I find it annoying. It's my responsibility to monitor my "online" time & even if YouTube pauses the video, my Internet is still active so there no cost benefit to their annoying "big brother" monitoring. 

    I changed the Roku settings as advised but I still don't know if it's a Roku or YouTube on Roku problem. It doesn't happen on my cell phone.

    • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
      RokuEmmanuel-D
      Community Moderator
      8 days ago

      Hey there!

      We've checked your concern and found out that this is a feature only available on YouTube. For further help in turning this feature off, you may need to reach out directly to their support team.

      You can start here!

      Roku Community Team