YouTube’s autoplay feature is supposed to make life easier—one video ends, and the next begins without you lifting a finger. But when autoplay doesn’t work, it’s honestly frustrating. I faced this issue myself and went down the rabbit hole of fixes, forums, and feature settings to understand why YouTube auto-play isn’t working on different devices like Android, iPhone (iOS), and web browsers.
Let’s break down what I learned, how I fixed it, and what you should check right away. Whether YouTube won’t play the next video, autoplay is greyed out, or you keep wondering why the Up Next video isn’t loading, this guide covers it all.
YouTube Video AutoPlayer Tool
Enter a YouTube video URL below to watch or open in the YouTube app
Quick Summary
Here’s a short checklist that helped me restore autoplay across devices:
- ✅ Enable autoplay toggle inside YouTube settings
- 🔁 Turn on “Loop Playlist” (weird fix, but it worked!)
- 🧼 Clear cache and app data (especially on Android)
- 📱 Update the app and your phone’s OS
- 🔒 Fix iOS 18 restrictions like background refresh or muted playback
Why YouTube Autoplay Suddenly Stops
- Platform Inactivity Timers:
You haven’t touched your device in 30 minutes on mobile data or watched for 4+ hours on Wi-Fi.
- Supervised or Restricted Accounts:
Accounts under parental controls or flagged as underage force-disable and grey out autoplay.
- Muted Playback & Media Restrictions:
Browsers block autoplay unless muted, and iOS 18 mutes or blocks autoplay when apps run in background.
🎉 All Reasons Revealed!
Fixing YouTube Autoplay on Android
App Fixes That Worked for Me
- Clear cache and data: Settings > Apps > YouTube > Storage > Clear Cache
- Reinstall YouTube: It resets misbehaving settings.
- Update the app: Autoplay issues were fixed in a few updates I tested.
Tweak These YouTube Features
- Toggle “Loop Playlist” even if you’re not watching a playlist. Trust me, Reddit users were right—this fixed autoplay in some cases.
- Disable “Playback in Feeds” from Settings > General as it conflicts with regular autoplay sometimes.
System-Level Tips
- Turn off Battery Saver or Data Saver modes
- Give YouTube unrestricted background usage if available
Fixing YouTube Autoplay on iPhone (iOS)
After Upgrading to iOS 18
- Disable Background App Refresh: Settings > General > Background App Refresh > YouTube
- Remove Media Widgets like the Control Center audio widget (yes, really)
- Enable Sound: Go to Settings > YouTube > Allow Sound
Other Permissions to Check
- Make sure Background App Activity is ON
- Grant microphone and speaker access if prompted
Fixing Autoplay Issues on Chrome, Brave, and Firefox
Chrome / Chromium
- Embed fixes for developers:
<iframe src=”https://youtube.com/embed/xyz?autoplay=1&mute=1″ allow=”autoplay”></iframe>
- Chrome blocks autoplay unless video is muted or you’ve interacted with the page.
Brave Browser
- Go to Settings > Site Permissions > Autoplay
- Change it from Block to Allow for YouTube
Firefox
- Type about:config in the address bar
- Set:
- media.autoplay.default = 0
- media.autoplay.blocking_policy = 0
User-Reported Fixes That Actually Help
Reddit Workarounds
- Loop Playlist Toggle: Mentioned in several r/youtube threads as a bizarre but working fix.
- Browser flags: For Vivaldi, launch using –autoplay-policy=no-user-gesture-required
Developer Tweaks
If you’re embedding YouTube videos on a site:
<iframe src=”https://youtube.com/embed/xyz?autoplay=1&mute=1″ allow=”autoplay”></iframe>
Common YouTube Playback Issues and Their Best Fixes
| YouTube Autoplay Problem | Best Fix or Workaround |
| Auto-play toggle is disabled or greyed out | Enable the autoplay toggle manually in player settings |
| Next video doesn’t play on Android | Clear cache, reinstall app, toggle Loop Playlist, update app |
| Auto-play fails to work on iPhone (iOS) | Disable Background App Refresh, remove media widget, allow sound |
| Playback stops after a while on Wi-Fi | Autoplay pauses after 4 hours; resume manually or re-engage the app |
| Next video won’t start in Chrome | Use ?autoplay=1&mute=1 and allow=’autoplay’ in iframe embeds |
| Video won’t continue in Brave browser | Change autoplay setting under Site Permissions to ‘Allow’ |
| Video playback blocked in Firefox | Modify about:config – set media.autoplay.default = 0 |
| Muted videos don’t start automatically | Ensure video is muted when embedding or interacting before playback |
| Restrictions from supervised or underage accounts | Switch to unrestricted or main Google account |
| YouTube app glitches or freezes playback | Update the app, clear storage, reinstall if needed |
| Loop playlist doesn’t advance video | Enable Loop Playlist even if it’s a single video |
| Auto-play issues after iOS 18 update | Turn off Background App Refresh and reset sound permissions |
Final Troubleshooting Checklist
- 🔄 Is the app updated?
- 🎯 Autoplay toggle switched ON?
- 📡 Internet stable or switched to Wi-Fi?
- 🔈 Video not muted?
- 🔒 Not using a supervised or under-18 account?
Android vs iPhone Autoplay Fixes (Comparison Table)
| Fix Method | Android | iPhone (iOS) |
| Clear Cache/Data | ✅ Yes | ❌ Not applicable |
| Reinstall App | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Loop Playlist Toggle | ✅ Works | ✅ Works |
| iOS Background App Refresh Fix | ❌ Not needed | ✅ Critical fix |
| Sound Permission / Mute Issue | ⚠️ Only in browsers | ✅ Fix in iOS Settings |
| Playback in Feeds Conflict | ✅ Disable in YouTube settings | ❌ Not present |
| Battery Saver / Data Saver Interfere | ✅ Can block autoplay | ⚠️ Minor interference |
Still Not Working? Here’s What I’d Suggest
If none of these worked, try:
- Contacting YouTube support with your device details
- Trying YouTube Vanced or YouTube ReVanced as an experimental app (but not recommended for official accounts)
- Drop your issue in Reddit or YouTube Help Forums
Let me know in the comments or DMs if any of these fixes worked for you—I’m still collecting weird fixes to add! By the way, If any fine day Youtube, Stop showing you video thumbnails, then try this.
That is it for the blog post today. Today, I tried sharing with you all the proven ways to fix the YT app when it actually creates trouble for you. Someone told us to write about this topic on FixingPro’s Instagram, so here we did it. If you ever face any tech problem or hiccups, then come here. We’ll fix that for you.
YouTube Autoplay FAQ
Why is YouTube autoplay not working on Wi-Fi?
On Wi-Fi, autoplay may pause after four hours of continuous playback or when brief connection drops occur. This built-in timer prevents runaway streaming sessions and handles intermittent network issues gracefully.
Does YouTube autoplay work in the background?
Background autoplay is limited on both iOS and Android. Unless you subscribe to YouTube Premium, videos won’t automatically play once the app is minimized or your screen is off.
How do I enable YouTube autoplay on mobile?
In the YouTube mobile app, open any video and tap the “Autoplay” toggle located directly below the player. Once enabled, the next recommendation will start playing when the current video ends.
Why does autoplay stop after 30 minutes?
On mobile data, autoplay stops after 30 minutes to conserve bandwidth and battery life. This timer ensures you don’t unintentionally exhaust your data plan or drain your device.
Why Autoplay Timers Matter?
There are built-in timers that pause autoplay to conserve data and prevent accidental binge-watching:
- 30 minutes on mobile data
- 4 hours on Wi-Fi
Reference: YouTube Autoplay Settings | Demo Video
🧠 Pro Tip: Bookmark this if autoplay breaks again—Google keeps tweaking things silently!
