You may have encountered a prompt while playing videos on YouTube stating “Video paused. Continue playing?” This is probably because you have been inactive on YouTube’s website while a video is still playing in the background. This prompt can be annoying for some users as they are only listening to the audio, such as their favorite music playlist while doing other things on their computer.
This article discusses a method through which you can eliminate this prompt so that you can keep your audio coming through uninterrupted while on YouTube.
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Why does Youtube prompt users at all?
This feature was introduced on YouTube around 2 years ago, with no comments as to why this was introduced at all. Some might say that it is there to ensure that the user is conscious and has not slept while watching the video so that it is not streaming and consuming unnecessary Internet bandwidth. However, some might argue that the feature was introduced so that users are more interactive on the website so that the advertisements may have a real live audience.
Some of the users complain that the prompt is rather annoying, as they are not always available near the computer while music is playing in the background on YouTube. Nonetheless, just like Netflix, Google also thinks that the feature is essential for users so that they remain active on the website.
Disable “Video paused. Continue watching?” on YouTube
You can now enable an extension that removes the prompt stating “Video paused. Continue watching?” However, there are a few catches.
Number one: This extension is only available on the Chrome Web Store as of now. Therefore, it is only possible to remove the prompt on Google Chrome and Chromium based browsers which support Google Web Store installation and not on other web browsers.
Number two: The extension does not precisely keep the prompt from popping up. What it does is remove the prompt almost immediately as it shows up. Hence, you might feel that the video has been paused for a little while, but you will not have to take any action yourself.
To install this extension, follow the steps below:
- Go to YouTube NonStop Extension on the Chrome Web Store.
- Click on Add to Chrome.
- In the confirmation box, click Add extension.
YouTube NonStop extension will now be added to your Chrome browser. You may now directly control your YouTube playlist from the extension itself. Moreover, it will remove the prompt automatically and continue playing your videos even if you are inactive on YouTube.
If you ever feel like removing the extension, you can disable or remove it at your will. Simply go to Chrome Settings -> Extensions. Alternatively, you can also type in chrome://extensions/ in the address bar. Now click on the slider for YouTube NonStop to disable (or enable) it. You may also click on Remove to permanently remove the extension from Google Chrome.
Closing words
It might be possible that you have never seen the prompt on YouTube your whole life. It might be because you are either not signed in, or you are continuously active while using the website. If this is the case, you might not need to add the extension to your browser.
Also, if you are using Firefox or any other web browser, there currently isn’t an extension for those to remove the prompt from YouTube.
You can also try out our method to install the YouTube app on your Windows 10 PC. Note that this application is only navigational using the keyboard only, and pauses the video as soon as the application is minimized.
