Want to play uninterrupted YouTube videos, but suddenly you are back to the home screen, or the video skips to another? That’s a common situation with touchscreen phones. The only way to avoid this would be to lock the YouTube video on the screen.
With highly-sensitive touch technology in smartphones in the current times, an accidental touch is pretty normal. However, as convenient the touch phones are, they can be troublesome at times. For example, when playing YouTube videos, a random finger swipe may skip or pause the video all of a sudden.
In this post, we will discuss, how to lock a YouTube video on the screen on both Android and iOS
How to Lock a YouTube Video on Screen
In such situations, it’s advisable to lock the YouTube video on the screen or pin the window to avoid accidental taps. This feature is also useful when your kid is using the phone and you do not want them to have access to any other content or apps on the phone. Here are a few ways that can help you to keep your YouTube video running as you enable the screen lock option.
- Prerequisites to lock the YouTube video on the screen
- Enable the YouTube screen lock option on the Android
- Enable the YouTube screen lock option on iPhone
- Lock the YouTube video on screen via the browser
1] Prerequisites to lock the YouTube video on the screen
Before you lock the YouTube video on your phone screen make sure you check if the YouTube app is updated to the latest version. Sometimes, the older versions may not have the lock screen feature. So, open the Google Play Store on Android or App Store on iOS to check for the latest updates for the YouTube app.
Read: Secret YouTube URL Tricks
2] Enable the screen lock option on the Android
The YouTube app does not come with a built-in screen lock feature, however, the Android phone does. So, all you need to do is to enable the screen lock feature in the phone and you will be able to lock a window. For example, you can lock the YouTube app screen to avoid any accidental taps or skips.
To enable the screen lock feature, launch Settings of your Android device > Biometrics and Security > Other security settings > Advanced > Pin windows > enable. Once it’s enabled, launch the YouTube app, search for your video, and open it. Now, tap on the Recents button and stay on the YouTube app. Here, tap on the YouTube logo at the top and select Pin this App option from the list.
Now, YouTube is locked on the screen on your Android device. To disable the option, press and hold the Recents and the Back button together.
Read: How to disable YouTube Shorts on PC and Android
3] Enable the screen lock option on iPhone
Even the iOS devices like the iPhone or iPad have a built-in function that helps you lock an app on the phone, including the YouTube app. For this, you need to open Settings > General > Accessibility > Enable Guided Access > Passcode Settings > Set a passcode.
Once you have successfully set up a guided access passcode, close Settings and launch the YouTube app. To lock the YouTube video on your iPhone screen, play the video and then instantly tap the lock button thrice. Now, on the pop-up message, tap on Guided Access, and the YouTube video will be locked.
To disable the Guided Access feature, triple-click the Side or Home button, input your Guided Access passcode, then tap End. Or if you turned on Touch ID or Face ID for Guided Access, double-click the Side or Home button. You can visit Apple’s support page for more details.
4] Lock the YouTube video on screen via Mozilla Firefox
Yes, it is also possible to lock the YouTube video on your Android or iOS device using a browser. However, this feature is currently restricted to only Mozilla Firefox and no other browser supports this. Open your Firefox browser, visit YouTube.com, click on the three dots on the upper right of your Android/iOS (iOS 13.0 and above) device, and select Desktop site.
The YouTube page will now refresh. You can now play any YouTube video on your Firefox browser and even if you go back to the phone’s home page or lock the phone, the video keeps playing in the background. This feature is not yet available on Chrome. On iPhone, you can also avail of this feature if you have subscribed to YouTube Premium.
Alternatively, you can also third-party browsers like the Dolphin browser or a third-party app like Touch Lock to lock YouTube videos on your phone’s screen.
How do I lock my kid’s screen?
Whether your kid is using an Android or iPhone, it would be the same as above to lock the phone’s screen. While tracking your kid’s activity on the phone is important, it’s equally important to ensure that your kids don’t get access to any other app except the one you want. Hence, to avoid that, you can either block a video or a channel on YouTube Kids or follow the above tips. On Android, enable the Pin windows option for all apps, and on iOS, turn on the Guided Access feature and set a passcode. This should allow your kids to use only the app you want and they wouldn’t have access to any other app, even accidentally.
Why do YouTube controls stay on screen?
Sometimes, the YouTube on-screen buttons like the Pause button or the video progress may freeze and won’t go away even when the video is playing. Usually, they disappear as soon as the video starts. This is a common glitch and can be frustrating. The best way to deal with this would be to clear the YouTube app cache on your Android phone, just like you would clear Discord Cache on your phone.
